Reason for Attraction
by JustSnapCrackle
Summary: [BOY LOVE] Zero had always been quite attracted to the Soluna. Or had it always been a certain immortal that had captured his attention all this time? A story in discovering what attraction really is as they overcome their inner problems for that reason alone. Main pairing is [Zero, Sieghart]. Also includes a complicated affair between [Lass, Dio, Rufus].
1. Chapter 1

**Reason for Attraction**  
**Story (c) JustSnapCrackle**  
**Grand Chase (c) KOG Studios**

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Chapter 1

"Haa~p!" The blade sliced the air swiftly, almost mercilessly. He drew back the sword and made another swing in the air, sweat flicked off his toned neck forcefully. Cheers began to follow after each movement from the young chasers around him, all too naïve and curious to pull away their gaze upon the black cladded man.

"Hmph. I don't see why those humans think he's that great." A magenta demon muttered darkly, huddled up under the shade and toying with some sort of mutated little black topped mushroom by poking it lightly with a stick. He then proceeded to crushing it into smithereens, with the thought of crushing the said sword wielder running around his mind freely. The demon let a smile grow on his face as he crushed the miniature fungi. "If anything, he's just a lazy ass bastard who should just drop dead right now."

On the other hand, a long eared demon sitting next to him quietly just gazed at the petty performance done. His eyes was following it; the white bladed, black plated sword that they called the Soluna. The one they all claimed to have the power to rival the deities themselves. As it swung around and found itself resting on its wielder's shoulder, he questioned himself.

'Why does it attract me so much?'

From the first time he laid eyes on them, he recalled it was back in Wrym's Maw whilst he was pursuing his all-time sole enemy, he felt a powerful attraction towards the sword. Though he had successfully shoved the sword to the back of his mind after catching wind that his target was nearby, his interest grew once more when he saw the sword again at Hammer's Reach, whilst briefly meeting a group of barbaric and disorganized party whom called themselves the 'Grand Chase'.

After unspoken nonsense had happened, he found himself becoming part of the Chase. For the most part, it was for his own ambitions. And well, he couldn't help but notice how his eyes were always following the gladiator's sword.

A short glance to the tree behind him and he saw his green plated sword, Grandark. Its eye was closed, peacefully sleeping, until it was suddenly disturbed by the same demon who had just obliterated the black mushroom. He sighed. The two were always fighting – or to be more specific, the purple haired demon chieftain just has a natural talent to piss anyone off easily and the sword simply hated everyone who showed no worth to become his wielder.

Now the Grandark was definitely strong– hell, it could send the gods to their knees. That is, if its only wielder, him, Zero Zephyrum, were to allow it. And of course, it was more than just impossible to happen. But back to the main point, Grandark was just powerful. And at the same time - he prayed the sword would never hear him say this, let alone think it -

Both Grandark and Soluna seemed evenly matched.

Zero sighed. What's the point in thinking of meaningless things like that if it'll do naught in his ambition to search for Duel and end his insanity? One thing's for sure, it'll put him into more confusion than he ever felt. He was already _still_ unfamiliar to the human world of Aernas he was currently residing in, no matter how long he had spent in the mortal world wandering around. He needed not to add another problem to it all. An exhale seeped out of his mouth.

"Don't sigh like that. You're still a greenhorn, aren't cha?" A shadow darker than the tree's shade had loomed over the wanderer. He looked up in his steady and slow pace, only to find the black haired wielder of the Soluna with his arrogant smile that stretched from one ear to another. Yet there were no signs of the said great sword anywhere near him. His elven like ears twitched lightly, hearing a noisy hassle made by the younger Grand Chase members just meters away. It told him that the Soluna was left for them to play with.

Zero made a shy grunt, tilting his head away from the man so he could gaze at the far end. He was right; the Soluna had become the grand prize of a bicker between the youngsters. They were yelling loudly and clearly about how awesome they'd be if they could wield the sword.

But oddly enough, the Soluna seemed to have lost that glorious spark it had just a moment ago. 'Then why was I so attracted to it? It looks like nothing more than another ordinary sword.' Unintentionally, his head had tilted, muddled in his own thoughts.

On the other hand, the wielder of the sword, Ercnard Sieghart, didn't seem to have realized he was ignored so easily by the wanderer. The grey haired demon had always been so distant to him, to anyone for that matter that reading his expressions was just too hard, let alone figure out if he was actually making an expression. He didn't even seem as demonic as any other demons he had ever met – being all too reserved, quiet and observant - thus his lack of hostility to the elven eared demon (but he had managed to put a side note to be careful of what he does in front the ever so vigilant guy). He just shrugged and made a makeshift bed next to the wanderer with his jacket then lied down on it.

"I'll be sleeping here for a bit alright, since I've got those kiddies to stop bothering me temporarily. Especially little Miss Red there, hahaha~" The immortal didn't seem to care much if there was a reply from the demon as he shut his eyes close and peacefully snored. Since the arrival of the grey haired demon into the chase, he posed as the mysterious aloof one (He was still the mysterious aloof one even to this day). Nothing useful could be obtained from him unless it was, as he said, allowed by Grandark, which frankly was only a small amount. He shivered in disgust to the fact one could withstand a life of following the commands of another, and from a bossy, talking sword of all things!

Zero was certain that the man didn't hear his protesting grunt. He objected this action knowing a certain chieftain was just close by and already screaming swears and hell knows what other vulgar words he used to bicker with Zero's sword. If the immortal were to be here, it would just add fuel to the fire and create a massive explosion, literally. They'd destroy another training field _again_. Nevertheless, even if he did do anything to stop him, Sieghart was, from observation, stubborn. Once the man found slumber, he wouldn't move a budge, with the exception of running away from his great granddaughter, taking up a challenge from the chieftain or running away if the Knightmaster ever catches him slacking on duty - or any activity that doesn't require sleeping for that matter.

The wanderer looked over at the relaxed man that had selfishly chosen to sleep next to him. His brows furrowed in confusing after just gazing at him. There was always this unique charm possessed by Sieghart that perked the demon's interest. Actually, it could tickle anyone's fancy at first glance. Then again, the gladiator was naturally charismatic. Even so, upon closer inspection, he noticed Sieghart had shown the same kind of appeal that the Soluna had albeit stronger – if it was possible to describe it that way.

Could it be that it was never the sword but Sieghart himself that had attracted him?

Speaking of which, the gladiator's special flair around him really stood out compared to the rest of the members in the Grand Chase. Obviously, it must be because of his flamboyant personality that makes him so eye catching by all. Zero sighed to the fact this 'all', miserably enough, may have included himself. Who wouldn't notice him? His long black bangs were just mystifyingly enthralling, always hiding a sneaky smirk of the devil. When brushed away that hair of his, the handsome face of a_ genuine man_ was there. He thought it wouldn't be such a surprise to know that the immortal had more than just one woman in his life with those looks alone. Add in his charisma and the amount of women held by him had just multiplied tenfold.

"Actually, it's fine and dandy with me if you staring at me when I sleep, but touching me is a different matter…"

The wanderer retracted away immediately just at Sieghart's voice. Zero finally noticed his hand had actually caressed the gladiator's cheek, already brushing off some of his bangs. Baffled by his own unintentional actions, Zero stared at his own hand. "Ah… I'm sorry….?"

Sieghart looked at him, an eye still closed, the other half open and entirely concerned. Truthfully, he had never felt the need to care about the wanderer. He knew that the wanderer was capable of taking care of himself – especially when he had that sword of his always next to him (so the only time he felt being a responsible adult around Zero was when shit gets serious). But this was something he felt was an entirely different situation. Zero simply appeared confused just because he had involuntarily touched him.

That and something had perked the immortal's interest.

He reluctantly sat up, his eyes slowly widening, still fixed at the demon's face. The demon's child-like baffled face. Well, despite the mask, this expression seemed much obvious to figure out considering he hardly ever revealed any form of real emotions. Sieghart made a light chortle. 'This is an interesting discovery! And here I thought the only thing he could do was to make a little grin for his sword.'

"Heheh.. Maybe you've finally fallen for my charms as well." Sieghart intended to joke around to see whether the wanderer would make a different reaction, but unfortunately for him, nothing bizarre happened. All Zero had done was to revert back to his emotionless state, gazing right back at him.

A few long seconds seemed like hours. But that had been enough for something to finally click for Sieghart.

'Wait a minute… The kid's staring at me… Blankly?' The mask may have covered his eyes, but Sieghart could tell an empty expression anywhere. Hell, after living for 600 years, he's seen thousands of expressions to know how each would look like in spite of the presence of a mask. Although, he admits that Zero was a tough cookie to figure out, he won't deny that Zero's stare made awkwardness grew inside the guts of the immortal. "Zero?"

Another pause intervened before Zero looked away from him. "… I find that suggestion likely…"

'W-what?! He actually considered it?!' Shocked, the gladiator stared at him in disbelief, blinking twice just to make sure he was actually wide awake in this reality.

"Your personality is quite flamboyant that it easily catches anyone's attention. It wouldn't be a surprise to say I find myself fascinated by it at times."

"O-oh.. I knew that…" A dry laugh came from the gladiator. This time, Zero couldn't help but feel mused. He had always assumed that the man was not only charismatic, but also had a cool composure to back it up. Yet somehow, the cool and charismatic Sieghart was feeling ruffled up so easily by simple yet easily misinterpreted words.

He was also amused at the fact that there is a numerous amount of colours that Sieghart had yet to openly show – the other sides of Sieghart that had been hidden. Then again, he was always wearing that silly optimistic mask of his in front of everyone, being carefree and boundless. But whenever no one was looking, the immortal would look up to the sky sighing, jealous of the clouds that actually had real freedom that he longed for.

No…. It wasn't when no one was looking… Zero saw those moments. Heck, he had to if he knew them. He had seen how the immortal's smile would just crack into a terribly broken grin. It was coming out as twisted feelings of suffocation and depression. He was aware of how much the man carried upon his back quietly. Sieghart was restrained down to the responsibility of the lives around him as a highlander, a prime knight, a senior and a great grandfather. He was to live on for the rest of his life, knowing he will never enter death's door, and watching his companions, relatives, descendants, leave him behind alone again and again.

Despite being a demon, and artificial for that matter, Zero thought that Sieghart deserved better. No one had to go through something as painful as what the man had gone through.

Something tingled inside him. The sort he had never known existed before that enticed him to do something. That he _had_ to do something to the gladiator. To protect him? No, he was aware Sieghart needed not of such a thing. One thing was for sure, Sieghart would find it awkward that he, an immortal, was being protected.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before. Not even towards Grandark. Heartbeat gradually quickened in anxiety to this alien emotion. The first thing that had come to mind was to calm himself down. And so he did by slowing his breathing pace. Surely it couldn't be too harmful.

"W-well, just goes to show it." The light blush on the gladiator's face faded away and replaced by his smug grin. "I'm so awesome, even demons are attracted to me!"

Zero grunted – almost rolled his eyes. He figured that Sieghart would easily regain his usual act so quickly. But the word 'attracted' had brought Zero to think to himself about his questions. Why was he attracted to the Soluna in the first place? And why did that attraction disappear so suddenly? And why did he feel attraction to the immortal instead? He had even touched the immortal involuntarily and brushed his hair off to take a good glimpse of his face! He groaned to himself silently.

It was not by his own accord that his own body that expressed such gesture. And it was not by him that the strange awareness had begun to develop in his core.

Was it possible that he was-

"Hey Zero. What are you thinking?" The gladiator suddenly asked. Sieghart thought he was seeing things, that he had saw the wanderer twitch just for a little bit. But then again, the wanderer was particularly chatty with him that day and that was already something new. Zero was one of the few rare people that was definitely hard to make a conversation with.

Not that Sieghart needed to talk to him all the time. In fact, sometimes it was just enough to have eye contact with the wanderer. When there were times the gladiator had another of their normal fights with his great granddaughter – he was forced into hiding completely until she cooled down – he'd sometimes find himself in his time of loneliness attracted towards the peaceful air around the wanderer.

Everyone else who approached him in this period would either insult him harshly for being an asshole for picking fights with his great granddaughter or talk some sense into him into becoming a better person. Sieghart had heard the same lecture again and again to the point he was simply sick of it (it was easy for them to forget that the man was in fact, an immortal, and heard it all. But due to his carefree nature, it was easier to disagree that Sieghart was centuries old).

But Zero remained indifferent, no matter what Sieghart did. He would give a glance to the immortal and give the usual nod. They'd make small talk when they felt it was necessary but the demon didn't do anything more or less that would add stress to the immortal. That made Sieghart felt comfortable enough to think on his own of how to deal with his descendant.

Only at rare times did Zero question the immortal. But even then, it had nothing to do with Elesis and was related to a whole different story. It definitely took Sieghart's mind off of the rage that had built up in him and for the sake of his pride, he would cool down and make small talk with the demon. At those moments, Sieghart would think that the demon was either great in negotiations or was ignorant of the situation and simply wanted an opinion voiced by the immortal – to which Sieghart enjoyed. Either way, it always helped him clear his mind to think of a further action in dealing with his great granddaughter.

Maybe Sieghart had unconsciously asked that earlier question as a means of paying back the demon. Maybe he asked the question as a gamble, to see whether Zero would continue to be chatty enough for the immortal to make a proper common ground with him. Well, for starters, it did worry the man that Zero was acting a little edgy from his normal self.

On the other hand, Zero looked at him. The immortal didn't usually possess any concern towards him. Sure, Sieghart seemed to always feel like he was responsible for all their lives, but he was also fully aware to how Zero was fully capable of taking care of himself. He was one of those who the immortal acknowledged for their maturity in life, and thus, earned his respect. Being worried over by Sieghart felt rather new to him. It actually intrigued the demon. In retrospect, there had never been anyone who would worry over him in the first place.

That sensation tingled once more. To Zero, it was no doubt that this was caused by anxiety was building up again. By why on Aernas was this happening? Telling Sieghart the facts was obviously no better than telling it to his great granddaughter. Sure, it meant that he was risking secrecy since it had become apparent that the Sieghart's had a habit of letting information slip out once in a while. But one thing was for certain was that they were honest and loyal with their words.

Zero was aware Sieghart would never betray the demon without reason. And there had never been a reason for Zero to outrage Sieghart to induce that betrayal. Well, nothing that had put him on opposing grounds of course. So what was that anxiety? Fear? Distress?

This was Sieghart we're talking about. It can't be all negative, right?

"… I think I'm broken…."

Sieghart blinked at the demon.

"… Come again?"

"Sieghart, I think I might be broken."

Sieghart stared at the demon with utter bewilderment as his jaw fell. He felt everything coherent he knew just shattered immediately. He wasn't close to the demon, but he knew enough that Zero wouldn't admit to his weakness so easily and so straight-forwardly.  
It entertained him that Zero actually showed emotions and he could even get over the fact Zero might not be as perfect as he thought. But what he couldn't take in was the fact Zero had doubted himself.

Well, maybe the fact that the talking sword isn't around could be the reason the demon was able to say such a thing. Grandark looked like it was the over protective type when it came to the image the wanderer had to possess. It wasn't obvious, but the glare the sword makes gave it away to Sieghart. But would that not mean Zero had exposed himself on purpose to him?

Or maybe, the demon actually trusted him, just a little?

A giddy feeling grew inside the depths of Sieghart's stomach. Sure, he had always gained the trust of many over the years he lived as an immortal so knowing that another person had placed their trust in him was something that had become 'normal' to him. But there was something about Zero that made him feel different.

Whatever it was, Sieghart had to put feelings aside for now. There was nothing normal when someone says they're broken. No one even uses the term 'broken'.

"Errrr.. Zero…? I don't think it's even possible for a demon – for anyone to be broken… Or are you telling me you're sick? Maybe you have a headache or something?"

The wanderer frowned. Of course he wasn't exactly broken, but maybe something inside of him was not functioning the way it was supposed to be. It started off with that random act of skin contact. And then it lead to the next question. Why would he have started to develop such strange awareness to the gladiator? Sure he was interested in the gladiator's eccentric way of life and sure he was interested in his fascinating skills in battle, but he had always admired the many different ways people – be it demon, human or elf – lived their own respective lives. And each and every one of them had possessed their own respective talents to be admired for.

Or was it possible that there was still no satisfaction when it came to Sieghart? As if he needed something more from the gladiator….

Before Zero realized it, the immortal had reached out to him and tapped his own forehead with his own.

"Oww!" The gladiator yelped after his forehead went to a head on collision to the mask of the wanderer. At the same time, the wanderer flinched back as he felt a little pain from the impact. Sieghart rubbed lightly over his light bruise and groaned. "Ah… I forgot that thing was a mask…"

The wanderer blinked with surprised. Did he intend to feel the wanderer's temperature by his forehead because he had assumed he was sick? Actually, did Sieghart even realize that his mask was on his forehead until now? If that was the case, had Sieghart always ignored his presence and not noticed it? Or had he simply overlooked his being as a demon and with his dense head, he simply wanted to feel the wanderer's heat?

The thought of the latter had somehow appeased him despite the fact even he knew that it was strange to feel light in heart to know that one didn't seem to care whether his existence was a demon or not. But from the beginning, Sieghart did not see him as an artificial lifeform either. The rest of the chasers had already known he was an artificial, even if it was indirect information (Rufus sensed something odd, Ryan _sniffed_ something different – They all had their own ways of suspecting it, especially with Grandark as enough proof that something was definitely amiss with Zero). So they had been a little careful when it came to dealing with him. With the exceptional Dio whom confided to the demon as his only 'friend', being a male demon from Elyos whom he could relate (rant) to.

In fact, what made Sieghart so different was that he seemed oddly intrigued instead, as if he had found a new toy or some sort and was curios to its well-being. That was, of course, a needle through the wanderer's pride but there had never been a time that the gladiator actually bothered to tease him or belittle him. So it was possible that Sieghart was as dense as his great granddaughter who fails to even notice Zero was a demon all along (Elesis seems to be the only one who sees him as an elf because of his elf-like ears and his pale 'human' skin. Even when Rufus came by whom looked nothing like the demons she had already seen, she still saw him as an elf…).

Though it seemed senseless, maybe Zero felt 'content' to know someone had treated him differently. Kinder than Grandark's strict and over protectiveness, of course, but perhaps he felt spoilt by the gladiator as well…

Just having the gladiator near him was enough. To feel the slight heat of his breaths, to smell the free breeze-like scent he carries….

Yet at the same time, Zero felt it wasn't enough at all. That same sensation from before had begun to squirm inside of him, tempting him to push on. To what, exactly, remained a question that restrained Zero. What else was making him feel this absurd anxiety? It was as if there was something 'missing' that Sieghart possessed. Something he seemed to have wanted.

Something he thought he actually craved…

"Sieghart…"

The soft whisper of his name made the immortal freeze on the spot. It was neither fear nor horror that he became petrified. Rather, he felt speechless. Because Sieghart, no matter how much he would deny it, actually felt the slightest bit of arousal. Well, it wasn't aroused to the degree where his groin needed friction - but it had stirred a sort of desire inside of him. The sensation wriggled inside of him from the tips of his fingers to the depths of his stomach.

The grey eyes of the immortal fell onto the demon's lips. An old familiar flame, untouched and unscathed for so long, had sparked in the depths of the immortal.

"Y-yeah?!" The immortal immediately retreated onto his bottom, looking away from the demon. He knew his face had turned red, if not, slightly flustered. He cursed himself again and again as the reason for his change of colour of his face was because he actually thought of the unthinkable. 'I can't believe it…! I nearly thought of kissing him!'

The sudden thought of himself licking those lips and biting them teasingly was a pleasing thought. He would have let loose of the sensation inside of him if not for the fact that those lips belonged to a Zero Zephyrum, a demon and a male! How was such a scene capable of entering the immortal's mind? That was left unanswered as the immortal himself refused to discover. What he did know was that such a thing was impossible. There was no way two men, an immortal and a demon for Aernas' sake, could pull it off.

And by that he meant a relationship. He was already having troubles putting up with these demons. As if it was by instinct to make every demon his arch-nemesis (to be specific, Dio was a pain in the ass for him). But to be in an intimate relationship with a demon….

It was impossible, Sieghart thought. Although it was against his policies - he was someone who had never believed in the 'impossible' – this just had to be one of the things that went under the list of exceptions.

But speaking of exceptions, Zero was exceptionally different to most demons anyways….

No! He shouldn't let himself think that way. It was just possible to be impossible.

Even so, without him realizing, Zero had matched his movements. As Sieghart retreated, Zero leaned over him, keeping the distance between them constant – maybe closer. The wanderer's fingers had reached out to the gladiator and softly touched his chin, gently turning his face so their eyes would meet.

"Why are you flustered…?"

"C-cause it's hot?" The immortal stuttered unconvincingly of which he swore to himself endlessly inside. It was obvious that he sounded like he was being dishonest. But Sieghart wasn't entirely lying at all. The immortal had actually begun to feel a little tepid with the sudden closeness of the demon. And Zero was a keen enough observant to see through it.

"You were looking away as well."

"Uh… I-I was making sure… Uh… My Soluna was alright!" Sieghart chuckled dryly, again making another useless lie. They both knew that the Soluna was in safe hands of the younger chasers, or at least, in the hands of those could never utilize it. They were both aware that it could only be used by the prime knight, namely Sieghart alone.

"Sieghart."

Again, that voice soothed his ears and sent chills that shivered down his spine. He had almost arched his back and leaned forward if not for the years of experience that kept him still, underneath the wanderer. Instead, his fingers dug into the ground, restraining himself from any sudden body actions. Deep breaths of his name groaning near his ears come about in his mind as phantasmagorias, accompanying with warm strokes of the wanderer's tongue from his ear lobes and right down to his jawline.

Sieghart shivered at the thought of it – whether it was in disgust or in excitement did not matter. All he wanted was that image out of his mind. He had years of experience in controlling his temptations, why on Aernas was he suddenly so sensitive to the wanderer's voice? Isn't his voice always so deep and low? Was it the position that he was forced into? Probably not because there had been times where things like this happened (all of which were accidental) with both men and women.

His grey eyes raced everywhere, trying not to look at the wanderer at all now. He didn't care if Zero saw this or not, because if he saw even the slightest of the wanderer, something _'dangerously odd'_ could come up in his mind again. That task alone, however, was too difficult even for the likes of himself as Zero was leaning too close for his likings.

Sieghart had bit his lips, and it looked like he had done so unconsciously from the demon's point of view. He was panicking, judging from the way his eyes are shifting too much and he was trying to detain himself from fidgeting too much. This side of the immortal, it was unexpected and new to Zero.

Submissive Sieghart. It was sounded inappropriate yet somehow… So befitting? A word like that could describe it although Zero felt it wasn't the exact word he was looking for.

Even so, it was also a side of the immortal that made him felt difficult. On one hand, he did find it enjoyable after he's seen this side of Sieghart. He would even admit that he had actually felt tempted to experiment with Sieghart to see what else would make the immortal behave in such a way.

On the other hand, Zero felt something he had seldom experienced. Pride.

It was a normal trait for demons to have a huge ego and this was especially proven by the demons that were surrounding Zero as of now. And it was also part of the norm, in accordance to demonic morals, that those who held more strength overall – be it in physical strength, charisma, social standings or anything for that matter - had the rights to be more egoistical compared to others. Grandark, being a demon sword who showed more wrath in comparison to Zero, automatically became the dominant one in the pair. Leaving little to no second for Zero to feel actual pride.

So it was pride that filled the wanderer when he was able to make the immortal submit under him with not even a single sweat of effort. To have made Sieghart succumb into a state where neither pride nor arrogance was visible and vulnerability and exposure became obvious to him – it was satisfying to a certain degree.

Yet it did not explain the giddiness that grew in the wanderer as that revelation did not seem to have overcome the anxiety that grew in him. In fact, it simply made Zero more restless.

But for the feeling to have accompanied such giddiness, such pride… Would it not be safe to assume it was a positive kind of anxiety?

Excitement. That was a positive way to look at it.

That pretty much explained a lot of blank pages in the book of answers the wanderer searched for. Curiosity must have gotten the best of him initially. It was curiosity that had pulled his attention to the powerful sword Soluna. And from then on, it moved on to one thing to another like a chain reaction - From the sword to its immortal wielder and from an immortal wielder to the arrogant Sieghart and from the arrogant Sieghart to this submissive Sieghart. And after each little discovery from every reaction, the excitement's growth only catalysed further into a hastier rate. It had probably become a festival of emotions inside the wanderer.

A slight cut was made on the gladiator's lips. Sieghart had bit it a little too hard in his panic.

Naturally, the wanderer lifted the chin of the gladiator, looking closely to this petite injury. The grey eyes had coincidentally looked straight into his own cadmium eyes.

The idea of Zero being one who was rarely allowed to be this adventurous had been left undiscussed the whole time because the only reason Zero was made to restrain his behaviour was none other than Grandark and his ego. And blaming Grandark was not something Zero enjoyed, even if it was the truth.

But somehow, just looking at the jittery grey eyes, he heard a snap in that restraint.

As he leaned downwards, Zero saw how the immortal cringed, as if bracing for any worse case scenario. It was not typically Sieghart to behave this way and the attention of the demon he possessed increased only. There were times Sieghart had licked his wounds when there was no water. It was better than nothing anyways. Zero licked the small wound and it surprised the Sieghart.

Why was Zero licking his wound? Sieghart was about to yelp in protest.

Yes. He was _about_ to.

The moment those lips parted ever so slightly, somehow, tongue slipped through them, grazing over teeth brashly. Sieghart blinked, stupefied and unable to comprehend what was happening. And the tongue had actually begun to explore the unfamiliar cavernous mouth, pleasurably tasting the sweet flavour that lurked deep in the mouth, yearning for more of its existence.

Yet those widened confused grey eyes of his had gradually fallen into a hazy serene state, as if Sieghart had finally yielded to pleasure. It was rough and lacked finesse, but who was he to complain when it felt so pleasing. Such warmth inside his mouth felt almost too heavenly, teasing him from the roof of his mouth to the back of his throat.

That flame that resided in the immortal, the desire that he had sealed away deeply in the depths of his guts had been ignited. It happened quite assertively like the flame had charred his body aggressively and soul burned so passionately to no end. And for an immortal like him, such a feeling was so foreign yet so nostalgic and all together, it was just…

He was feeling excited to the return of such a life-taking sensation.

He felt _alive_ again.

When lips parted, they gasped for every air they could inhale. Never had Zero done such a thing, and never had he known it was so pleasing. He wondered why Grandark had never mentioned something as great as this. Maybe it was addiction because certainly there was a sort of crave to have another taste of the gladiator. He even swore there was a tang of sweetness and that was simply unexplainable – He knew Sieghart wasn't a fan of sweet things in the mornings which made it all the more tempting to figure out.

Unintentionally, his fingers were already at Sieghart's cheek and Sieghart was purring deeply to his touch, as if he was begging for more in the wanderer's palms. At the same time, he had begun realizing that there were hands that didn't belong to him that had brushed through his grey hair gently. Sieghart stroked through his hair, gripping it tightly occasionally.

As if the gladiator was begging him for more.

Zero was pulled by the gladiator this time, engaging in another pleasurable session of tongue action. The second time around, he felt the gladiator had become more forceful and entered his own mouth instead. He even felt saliva, who knows from whom, leaking out but who was he to complain when Sieghart seemed to want it enough to drool for it, gradually hinting out his lewd wishes to the wanderer.

Arousing? Perhaps that was a word he had searched for when Sieghart had fallen into the mercy of the wanderer and now latching himself onto Zero as if his life depended on it. Because that anxiousness or excitement or whatever feeling you call it was had driven him into desire instead.

Parting once more to inhale the air, Zero found himself lying below the gladiator. Sieghart's hands were on the wanderer's shoulders. The wanderer was probably pushed down gently without realizing. Their connection was a little too breath-taking for Zero to keep in mind about anything else. All these emotions inside of him were growing at a rate he couldn't keep up with.

And then he saw a burning desire that flickered above the raven haired.

At first glance, the wanderer knew it was his rage aura, fuelled with his hunger to kill. But the expression Sieghart wore told him otherwise, that there was no presence of murderous intent at all. Instead, he seemed as if he was drunk in desire, drowned in pleasure. The grey eyes glowed in pure lust.

Zero simply blinked to this. Although the fact remains that Sieghart had always been so recklessly hazardous whilst his rage aura was switched on, Zero felt no such thing as fear towards it. The wanderer was certain that Sieghart's rage aura was when his inner beastly instincts taking over. And from the look in the eyes of the gladiator, Sieghart looked like he wanted Zero.

Sieghart was craving for him and only him…

However, the demon grew aware of the situation around them. The rest of the chasers were around, and certainly the rage aura of the immortal would catch some unnecessary attention. The immortal had pressed down on his chest, hands gripping the wanderer from running away. His tongue licked his lips hungrily. But complications had clustered up in the mind of the wanderer that…

BAM

"O-OUCH!" Sieghart yowled, jerking away from the demon and reaching out to his forehead, rubbing it lightly. Zero head-butted the immortal and the bruise stung. "Aaaargh… It's stings…!" Withdrawing his hands away from his face immediately, he frowned at the demon. "What the hell was that for?!"

"You lost control of yourself." Bluntly, Zero stated, brushing off any traces of the man, drool included, from himself as he sat up. Without moving an inch, he saw a small glance of their surroundings. Most of the chasers had already stared at them cautiously. They seemed tensed to see the gladiator, suddenly in rage mode and assaulting Zero of all people, who wasn't a usual on the list of people for the immortal to beat up daily.

"Control of what?!... Actually what were we doing again?" Sieghart asked groggily scratching his head as he tried to recall what had happen. This was a side effect of the rage mode that Sieghart had that Zero understood well. Whenever the immortal went into the said state, he loses all ability to think coherently and acted solely on instincts. Basically, his mind temporarily shuts down. And after exiting the mode, his brain takes a while to recover back to normal, though, unable to recover any traces of what he did…. _Easily_…

The demon sighed. Perhaps something as messy and complex as the unexplainable moment he just had with Sieghart would be better off explained in another time when Sieghart had at least a brief memory of what happened and where place of event was taken in consideration as well. A part of him wouldn't mind, or even care at all whether they would do it out in the open or not, but another wished none of them had caught the slightest glimpse of Sieghart's exposed, vulnerable side. Or how he looked so dazed and wistful.

And perhaps that craving too… It should be that only Zero would see it alone.

"We were engaged in a deep conversation that had stepped on a touchy topic which had your rage mode switched on. My mistake on that part." He scooted away from the gladiator, gradually noticing the stares from the surroundings lessen, understanding the fact that Sieghart was, as usual, never had any control with his rage aura to begin with. But there was still the glare of his sword, piercing his back like his sharp blades. Likewise, a certain stygian's glower was directed to their position, slowly dragging the Grandark towards them suspiciously. On the other side, heterochromatic eyes were dead set on them, stubborn to move away.

Grandark, Dio and Mari.

One could wonder why on Aernas Mari had her eyes on them of all people. Well, Sieghart having a friendly chat with Zero was already something abnormal. She had probably seen the whole thing and simply stayed quiet to observe with full concentration – human behavioural studies, she would call it. Mari would care less of whether the two would end up in a deeper relationship or strangling each other's throats. As long as she had information, it was good enough for her.

Leaving Grandark and Dio to pose as a much larger threat.

"R-really?! I can't remember the details…." The immortal laughed dryly, still trying to render in his mind what had just happened. Lightly, he groaned, "No, wait a minute…."

"Hey, what the shit just happened?!" Dio barged in between them like his pompous self, expected by the grey haired demon that had already scooted a little further away for space, and stabbed Grandark in the ground in the middle of the both of the demon and the immortal. Ignoring him, Sieghart stayed in his sitting position, a finger comically digging into his ear.

"Damn it… I think I'm hearing things again…" He groaned, disregarding the presence of the violet chieftain behind him.

"Don't pretend idiot! You two know what happened and I want an explanation!" The stygian growled at them, and much to Zero's dismay, it had attracted back the unwanted attention once more.

"And what exactly happened?! Cause clearly it wasn't you're business!" Sieghart spat back, rising up to his feet and challenging the chieftain.

"Wait, Dio-"

'Hold it, Zero. I'd like to know his response as well….' The wanderer flinched away from the two powers after being commanded by his sword suddenly. From the way the sword's eye glowed at him, it was definite that he was angry. And at the same time, Grandark wanted to see some sort of divine punishment being sentenced upon the gladiator who had the guts to interact with his wielder without his permission.

"You fucking raped Zero's mouth. That's what happened!" The stygian yowled back as he finally took the attention of everyone in the vicinity and astonishing them all in one go. Especially the gladiator, who not only froze in bewilderment, but had his colours drained from his face.

He blinked once.

Then twice.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!" Sieghart screamed in embarrassment, having every piece of his memories in his mind in place. "Shit-I-I! That! It was-!" Face now turning red; he was stuttering utter gibberish in his panicked state and having no rational explanation in mind.

It was rare for the immortal to ask for help, with his egoistical personality, but Sieghart had actually made a glance at the grey haired demon, begging for aid in his hellish, humiliating situation. But the fact remains that Grandark had told him to stay out of it.

….

Zero was already in this mess to begin with, so how could it be possible to just back out?

"Dio, it was an accident. I doubt that a mere assault like that would affect either of our performances in battle and-"

"Shut the hell up, Zero. You of all people can figure out what would've happened if he continued with his insane mind." Dio lashed out furiously to the wanderer, very unlike himself. He was one of the few who had considered Zero a 'companion', and didn't really show any intentions to fight, or kill, the wanderer, which was relatively rare for him to do so.

"But nothing complicating happened. I am capable of defending myself too." Zero replied coolly. It was a rare event to have witnessed Dio defends anyone but himself. The stygian would have rather watch a little misery and suffering before he did any sort of protection – a twisted kind of barter trade system. But as said, Dio and Zero were practically 'friends', being the only two male demons – It was as clear as ice that the stygian had no interest in reconnecting with the summoner - coming from Elyos. "Besides, Dio, this is a matter that must be settled between Sieghart and myself. You're just taking every little reason that can be used as an opportunity to fight against him."

Dio glared at him back. Zero was right. The chieftain enjoyed taking every chance that he could find just to make trouble with the immortal and possibly finish his kill once and for all. But this wasn't his fight to begin with. In any case, he began to feel reluctance to continue this charade when the grey haired demon continued to stare at him reasonably.

On the other hand, Grandark watched him quietly, frankly amused to this side of his wielder. The demon had dared to go against his commands and acted on his own accord to help the immortal. Usually, he remained silent under the authority of the sword. Nevertheless, it didn't ignore the fact that Zero disobeyed his commands and was going to get a scolding later.

"Tch… Fine!" The chieftain spat, slinking behind Zero. "But I want to see you two settle this right here, right now! I'm not satisfied with what I had just seen!" Obviously, Dio was one who wouldn't back down so easily. And when he meant he loved to take every bit of opening to trouble the immortal, it included backing out from anything with the condition that he sees Sieghart humiliated in the middle of the Grand Chase.

Meanwhile, Sieghart felt a little relief that the chieftain had decided to give up. But it was for a hefty price, not that there were any other ways to get out of this messy situation. He was still in the centre of attention. Chasers were eyeing on him for the reason of his brash, vulgar actions, eyes inquiring for an answer. If he didn't give them now, they'll surely demand it sooner or later. How was he able to explain about that? And though Zero was the first to move, he remembered clearly that he was the one who got aroused in the first place! And one event lead to another…

The gladiator looked at the wanderer, hesitant and panicky, begging for help once more.

Zero had thought of two choices, say the truth or lie. Lying seemed like the better thing to do in this case. Sieghart would surely cease to fall further in the pits of misery and no one had to bother them further about this incident. Dio didn't have to bother them about that incident anymore. Grandark would scold him for lying though, but that was something Zero was used to (not that he always lied but he was so used to Grandark's scornful personality, he felt abnormal if the sword ceased to yell).

However, it was simply out of the wanderer's nature to lie. There weren't much to gain in lying. And even if there was, it would surely come back and bite his ass one way or another. Mari remained an unexpected variable who saw everything. Obviously she would not object to his lies – again, it would have been for the sake of behavioural studies. But the fact would remain that if anyone asked her privately what had really happened, Mari would tell the facts straight out with her opinions and conclusions. She had never been the type to lie so easily. Not only that, lying felt like running away from the problem and Zero was never the kind to run away with his tail between his legs.

But what could he say about the truth? He knew not exactly what happened either. Every event went on too hastily for the wanderer to make a proper conclusion. However, he knew he had grown a kind of awareness for Sieghart, both mentally and physically. To him, the man was fascinating, as a legendary hero, as a skilled swordsman, as an immortal, as a grandfather and senior, as plain old Sieghart himself. Not only that, there were still secrets behind that happy-go-lucky mask that was still needed to be forced out which only made Sieghart more captivating. And it had probably started the moment their eyes first met in Wrym's Maw.

He was simply attracted to the gladiator. There was nothing that was denying that.

"Sieghart."

"Y-yeah?!" He stuttered in a mixture of surprise and shock to the wanderer.

"I thought I was broken because I had felt this _anxiety_ whenever you are involved and I couldn't comprehend this alien feeling.. But you had resolved my doubts by that… _'Experience'_."

"I… Did?" The immortal questioned ignorantly. Now he was confused. He recalled nothing that could help the demon at all. Only the fact that he had actually have a decent talk with him, saw his expression change, joked a little and got shocked after the demon had told him he was broken – the rest was something he did not want to remember over and over again. He couldn't think of any aid that would've helped him with his troubles. In the first place, he didn't even know what had troubled the demon.

But a grim feeling churned in his stomach. He knew with that kind of sentence, he was sure that the demon was going to grab for his sword and strike at him in anger, with his final resolve being he was just some vulgar pervert who doesn't deserve to be their senior (well, that was his great granddaughter's words, so it should sound somewhere similar in those lines).

Before he could back away and run for it to grab his Soluna, Sieghart was in for another shock. And everyone else had their own jolt of their lives.

Zero had grabbed his hands and pulled him closer instead. Sieghart turned red in embarrassment in the sudden contact. To him, men do not just hold each other's hand and face each other like this unless-!

"Zero, don't sa-"

"Sieghart. I now realize that, to me, the moment we first met, it seems as I have been harbouring a feeling of attraction towards you."

Speechless beyond words, the gladiator had a sudden remembrance of how his instincts took over and pushed the wanderer down the moment he felt excited. Oh how the mighty gladiator fell into self-humiliation after losing control of his sanity by just the return of a pleasurable sensation. He merely turned away and brushed the wanderer's hands off of him, speechless beyond words.

But he managed to let out a small stutter. "Nothing…. Happened…."

"Sieghart, that had just-!" The summoner silenced the moment she saw grey eyes glowering in rage.

"Nothing happened, you all hear me!" Finally, he erupted, fumes of embarrassment puffed out of his brains madly. And it increased when he had accidentally made eye contact with the wanderer. Sieghart's face had actually glowed beet red as he stomped towards the group, taking back his Soluna, and started to drag his feet towards his quarters. Even from the back, everyone could see his ears had turned scarlet as well.

He had left everyone in a bewildered state. Then a stygian had unsteadily made his way towards the wanderer, still unsure about everything, circling away from a seemingly furious sword. "Zero… You are joking… About the attraction thing…. R-right…?"

"I don't joke, Dio." With a straight face, Zero replied bluntly, taking Grandark and went after the immortal. No one knew whether he wanted to just go after the man or he just wanted to retire for the day, but they call could see that the grey haired demon was getting lashed at verbally so savagely by his sword.

The summoner hummed in muse though. "Didn't expect Sieghart to be so flustered when he gets a confession… I thought he'd just go with the flow and get laid or something…"

"You're more worried about that instead of the fact that those two **_guys_** may become potential mates?!" Dio yowled at her ignorance in common sense. The rest seemed to have cold chills slithering down their spines.

They all saw it.

Zero seemed to have smiled a little.

[Chapter 1 - End]  
Chapter word count : 8,784  
Total word count: 8,784

* * *

**A/N:  
**This is a revamped version of my previous work, also named as Reason for Attraction, that I had to put down due to insecurities and anxiety over many little things. Now I've mustered up a lot of courage to rewrite and post it, as well as properly constitute a plot in the whole series. It will be slow, yes, as my schedule is tighter as ever and my health isn't the very best in the beginning, but patience is virtue and this is one story I want to really treasure as much as I can to get it to what we can call perfect.

-Hishin


	2. Chapter 2

**Reason for Attraction**  
**Story (c) JustSnapCrackle**  
**Grand Chase (c) KOG Studios**

* * *

Chapter 2

_"Sieghart, you are to get your ass to Kaze'Aze's Castle for another patrol to make sure there are no funny businesses happening around there!"_

Sieghart groaned at the voice of the Knightmaster echoing in his head. It was already bad enough that he was suddenly kicked out of Serdin Castle after getting orders screamed at him just when he woke up from a nightmare. And now he had to go to some faraway land that takes more than enough of his energy that he had been working hard to conserve for a special occasion (running away from a red haired knight when she's in her mood swings) to reach and with the person who was involved in the nightmare he had suffered from.

The gladiator took a peek to his back and saw a sturdy, male demon with elven ears and an enigmatic mask. Zero Zephyrum was his name. And like his name, Sieghart had zero insight on the demon other than the fact that he had a talking sword that only converses to his wielder and seemed to have communicated with one of his great grandsons, which lead to a similarity to the Sieghart family style of attacks that the demon possessed. Okay, maybe there were a lot more little things that he knew but it didn't matter now for the aesthetic sake of the chapter's opening.

So what did the wanderer do to him? Well, nothing much. He only appeared in the gladiator's dream, that's all. Wasn't to harmful, right?

Actually, it was what happened in the dream that made the gladiator so restless.

He could remember it like it had happened yesterday. He asked Zero if he could take a nap just next to him, under the shade. He remembered clearly why he approached Zero of all people – the man was like his surname, a silent and calming zephyr - but just when he felt comfortable lying down on his jacket, he felt a slight brush of the demon's fingers. Not to say it was bad or anything, but unexpected.

An unexplainable chain of events occurred one after the other and Sieghart found himself enjoying the unrefined kiss of the wanderer. Hell, it was one of the most pleasurable kisses he had ever gotten, but the toll was equally heavy. Not only did he realize that he had felt excited over a mere kiss, a male demon of all people had made him feel that way. And to add fuel to the fire, everyone else knew that Sieghart had kissed the man.

Nevertheless, Sieghart was happy knowing it was simply those stupid random nightmares that prevented any man getting a morning wood and thought that it would never come true. Besides, Zero was behaving perfectly normal when they met up at the gates of the castle, ready to move out. No signs of desire or attraction towards the immortal. Nothing at all.

It was only then, did the gladiator's mood turned for the worse. A certain summoner just happened to float by with her butler carrying all these random human stuffs that she thought would be of interest to her to play with and destroy later when she got bored of them.

_"Oh.. How romantic. Immediately, after your confessions, the both of you are going to slip out and have a wonderful getaway lovey-dovey trip for two."_

She laughed as she floated away, giving her congratulations and waving them her goodbyes. Sieghart, however, stared at her with utter shock. To him, it meant that the incident that happened yesterday was never a nightmare but was a horrid reality. He hesitated at first, but took the courage to face the wanderer and ask him of this.

_"Yes, Sieghart. Yesterday was not a dream. I do feel attracted to you all this time."_

'Fuck!' Sieghart thought. 'Why wasn't it a nightmare?! It would become a happy ending in reality instead! And now I have to put up with him attracted to me?! This is insane! This is-'

"Sieghart?"

"Wh-what?!"

He stuttered in surprise at the call of his name by that voice. That particularly deep voice of the wanderer. He had unintentionally stepped away when he noticed how near the voice was, but purposely took another when he saw that the wanderer was a meter range from him.

"We're done in this dungeon… Let's go to the next," said the wanderer as he heaved his enormous demon sword onto his back. Yet he did nothing more than to just stare at the gladiator. It took Sieghart a while to notice that awkward silence between them and their stares was that him waiting for a reply. When Sieghart did give a slightly hesitant agreement, the wanderer nodded. And he continued to stare at the gladiator.

Zero sensed the discomfort the gladiator expressed. His feet were itching to leap a thousand miles away from the wanderer. His fingers were twitching lightly, ready to grip onto his gladius for any suspicious move the wanderer would make. His eyes were shifty and alert, growing aware of the wanderer's presence. Had he become much of a bother to the man? All he did was express what he felt. Then again, he knew that the rest of the chasers, Sieghart included, were not used to an expressive Zero.

Or is it because the fact that it was Zero who had told him of his attraction to the man? The wanderer was reluctant, but he could see last night's events play out pretty well in his mind. It pretty much involved only him and his ever so scornful sword, Grandark.

* * *

'Zero… What the fuck was that?!' The sword yowled at him the moment he had settled down in his room. It was a small near-to-empty wooden room that had been provided to each Grand Chase individual and only customizable when they wanted to.

"Grandark, I just wished to clear my mind of some problems and I did." Zero replied back, setting the sword at a corner of the room, one where it had both the view of the outside world beyond the window pane and the door which had served as the entrance of the wanderer's room.

'What fucking problem is that?! It looks more like you made more problems!'

'Granda-'

'You were made by that old bastard for one reason! _ONE_! And that was to wield _ME_! And what the hell is my purpose?! To counter off Duel who's got both Transcendence and Eclipse and end this bloody demon war! That makes it your purpose as well since you're my wielder!'

"So that makes it two reasons…" He said, only to silence himself when he saw the sword's eye glower at him dangerously. "Sorry, Grandark. I know." He replied immediately, gradually feeling conscious of the heavy chains that bounded him to his fate. Yet the wielder left those chains alone, letting them pull him down further. He had no rights to break away from those restraints. He knew he was the only one capable in defeating the insane demon, Duel, and reclaim the swords. And he had to take responsibility or every world would've suffered.

'So why the fuck are you saying you have this pathetic feeling towards that imbecile who refuses to die like the mongrel he is?!' Grandark lashed out furiously, 'That emotion you call attraction is simply another fool's insolent curiosity! That is unnecessary for our mission and so is he! He is no more than some nuisance that will keep you from your goal! Didn't I tell you to just ignore him?! Like I've told you to ignore all those other shit?!'

"Grandark. Sieghart's jus-"

'You dare to speak up against me?!' The sword immediately interrupted at the mere sound of his wielder's voice. Zero stifled, expecting Grandark to continue on scolding him. But instead, he blinked in surprise when he heard a sigh.

'You must end this thing you're doing, Zero Zephyrum. Even if I allowed you to pursue whatever you wish, it will end in naught. You are quite aware that the imbecile won't look at you. He's a _foolish old human. _He'd rather pick some random slut in the red-light district than you.' Grandark's snorted, piercing a sharp dagger through his wielder's chest.

All that the sword had said, it was all so true. It was by human nature that Sieghart would fancy a lass (not to be mistaken with the thief we all know and love and want to trap in the cellar wit- let's stop there….) who's pretty, cute and kind all the time and naughty whenever alone with him. A matching fiery personality would've fit in as the immortal's lover.

On the other hand, Zero knew he had no such traits worthy of the man's attention. He was muscular and well-built, neither pretty nor cute. And he knew that his personality could be easily mistaken as a standoffish, stoic person. Clearly a personality that isn't attractive to a man's point of view.

And naughty whenever alone? How could he act so vulgarly?

The wanderer knew he did not fit in that position. He knew he would never be like that.

* * *

So Grandark had a point. Which man would crave for another man? In all his time wandering around the world of Aernas, he had grown to understand it was unexplainably human nature for a man to be attracted to a woman and likewise. Even demons had a similar nature, having the major difference of the fact that most demons were open to any sort of gender to enjoy the lustful aspect of their early lives before they really settle down with a long term partner of the opposite sex for the sake of their clans. So it wasn't surprising to see Sieghart grow awkward towards this development of the wanderer's feelings towards him.

Zero felt pained however, that Sieghart had also developed a fear for his existence. The gladiator wasn't great at concealing his reactions to sudden changes (of which he have yet to seen in his immortal life of course), so it had been obvious to notice how he was desperately trying to avoid the wanderer at all cost. Zero sighed to himself silently. It if were possible, Zero would rather the option of never speaking of it at all and simply carried on their days in their unrecognized yet harmonic relationship.

But he was Zero after all. He was an innocent and curious soul, despite the exterior enigmatic persona he had developed. If he were not bounded to his destiny or Grandark, he would have gone wandering around the world, probably seeking for his reason of his existence, but also to explore how everything in the world worked so pleasantly. Even now, the unanswered things around him stir his soul ever so lightly, prodding him to move and discover it fully. But he knew he could never go for something as redundant as those wishful adventures. He was, after all, created for a purpose. And it wasn't to _'live'_.

"Sieghart… I won't do anything to offend you." Zero sighed, hoping that it would at least loosen the tension hanging around them in the time they had to cooperate for the mission. The demon tried to ignore the scowl of the sword strapped on his back, waiting for any little hint of practically anything, ranging from something as great as a decent reply or as worse as a disgusted look. At least, he thought, he knew what Sieghart wanted and tried to accommodate to a situation where both of them would feel less disturbed than they already were. 'It's better than nothing…'

The immortal was, at first, continued to turn away, heading towards the next dungeon. But he managed to make a curt nod before he completely went on ahead. Zero, relieved, followed after.

Sieghart cursed to himself mutely. Was it obvious that he was avoiding the wanderer as much as possible? Well, the wanderer had always been exceptionally great in observation. And he made it clear he won't do any harm to the gladiator whatsoever. Sieghart was reassured, yes, but he still felt the need to avoid the wanderer.

This was because of _that_ incident (he did not want to even name it, let alone remember it and so he had simply called it 'that'). _That_ had made Sieghart, our very own legend of Kanavan, the highlander the gods favoured, so clueless of the one and only wanderer of the Grand Chase, the vagabond demon knight, Zero Zephyrum. The demon had, on that day, proclaimed his attraction towards the immortal. Well, that was partially his own fault for having no control over himself but Sieghart rather not remember that fact (he would kill himself if he had the option, knowing he had assaulted a _male demon_).

That's one reason down.

The other reason was the fact that Zero was attracted to him. _Him_ of all people!

Why, he asks. Why was it him?

Why was he the one getting the attention? Of course, he was flattered (in a strange way that he enjoyed it as well as felt disturbed), but Sieghart knew that Zero was a decent – he admits that there are a few decent demons as there was an enormous contrast in personality between Zero and Dio, Ley and Rufus – quiet demon who was capable of defending himself and more, capable of doing countless things, whether good or bad. And of all the people the demon could choose, he just had to choose him. He, Sieghart, who was just a mere human who was revived as an immortal prime knight and – he admits unwittingly – an irresponsible, carefree and immature person. And not only was he was more than 600 years old, he was a freaking man!

'Not to be mistaken to like demons - I still find them creepy - but', Sieghart thought, 'the guy deserves more than me… Even if I'm all that legendary and awesome…'

Without even taking a glance behind him, he knew Zero was looking at him. It sent a chill running down his spine. Was that demon staring at him with lust? Had his thirst for desire that had remained dormant finally awakened? And to add to that note, he had tasted its sweet sensation and he actually craved for more? Though, as much as he believed that it was possibly true - Zero was still a demon whose nature is to do all those nasty, devilish things - Sieghart had to repeatedly cross out that theory whenever it came to mind.

"Zero… A lusty demon? Yeah right. That's like saying Dio can be innocent as an angel… Urgh…" He muttered to himself as he shivered at the thought of the stygian, dressed up in white robes with fluffy wings, prancing around like some goddess. But the point was that he already knew that Zero wasn't like most demons that'd go wild so easily.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he had always seen the demon restrain him and only act on the benefits of his ambition to defeat Duel. He had mentioned once that his only intention to join the Chase in the first place was to strengthen himself with the missions given and hasten his search for Duel with the large Intel the Chase possessed. He had control over every will, emotions, desires, and yet the demon had freely proclaimed his attraction towards the immortal.

'Dear Lords of Aernas! I am that attractive to break Zero's control over himself!' Normally, Sieghart laughed haughtily, with pride at what he had achieved. But in this situation, he laughed dryly, with colours draining out of his face. 'But I didn't intend it to be _this_ way!'

"SIEGHART! BEHIND YOU!"

The immortal was dumbfounded when his name was suddenly called out but reacted instantly at the command given to him. He lashed out his gladius and oversaw the fact that the monster that had pounced on him was slashed away. Zero had already launched himself towards the monster and gave it not a single second more of daylight.

Sieghart let out a sigh of relief. Had it not been Zero's warning, he would be on the ground and tackling that beast for a while, attracting the rest of its kin and they had to ultimately end up dealing with a horde of monsters instead. He was quite grateful that the demon would always trail after someone, or stay at the back of the party. Most of the time, it seemed like he enjoyed observing people, as well as the world around him, so the back of the line was perfect to do so. But to Sieghart, it was as if Zero was watching over them to ensure the success rate of the mission was kept high as well as the amount of casualties low. Of course it was for the sake of his ambitions, Sieghart thought.

Yet, it always assured him to see that the wanderer was at the very back. In these passing centuries, he knew that he had grown careless since the day he became an immortal. His reaction rate are sometimes too slow at some point that he'd just let the monsters attack him for a while before he'd just slam them to their deaths. Though, he'll never admit to that fact and 'train' a bit in secret. And because he was immortal, he unconsciously became the vanguard to any party he was associated with. He had always done the defending against thousands for the sake of others.

Having Zero behind his made him not just ready, but safe as well, despite knowing he'll never die.

"Are you alright?" The wanderer asked softly as he approached towards the raven haired gladiator. Zero only stopped when he saw the slight hesitation of the gladiator from making that usual silly smile of his and his thanks. Instead, Sieghart had simply nodded and turned back to where he was heading to.

"I'm fine. I can't die, you know," the man snorted back harshly as he shuffled away quickly. Since when had he grown used to the demon's presence to the point he saw Zero as more than a typical comrade in arms and make reassuring grins to him that he was alright. Besides, the demon of all people should know that he could take care of himself. He wasn't weak or stupid to be unable of to take care of himself. He was freaking immortal!

Yet Zero treated him like an ordinary person. Not in a way that the man's power was undermined but instead, he saw past that stupid glory of his being a Kanavan hero and an undying prime knight and all that crap. Then again, no demon cared about human status. But he just treated Sieghart like he would with anyone. Normally. And it does feel light to the man's heart to have someone treat you like everyone else once in a while. He didn't have to get reminded on how he was responsible for thousands of lives, how he had to suffer the burden of being immortal, how he was a hero with the fame and strength, and so on and so forth.

It felt somewhat…

Sieghart shook his head. There was no way that demon would actually treat him 'special' at all. He himself was special enough to be left to take care of his own well-being. Zero had treated the rest of the chasers like that anyways. Hell, there was no way he would act so differently from his usual façade. That 'attraction' of his must have been some sort of misunderstanding.

The immortal drag his feet away and hastened his pace. Zero simply stared at him walk by.

'Pheh. I bet you he's finally disgusted at that mess you've made. There is no way that idiot would want to spare another glance to you.' A growl pulled his gaze away from the distancing immortal. The demon looked over his shoulder to see that his sword, Grandark, was glaring at him with an intense amount of irk. 'You were better off not even involving yourself with him. There's no benefits in being in such an idiotic relationship with him, let alone even get aquatinted with him. Why the fuck did you even think you could be attracted to that imbecile in the first place? He is unworthy for all I care.'

'You say everyone is unworthy to you Grandark…'

'Of course! They cannot wield me! Me, who is the most fearsome, destructive demon sword of any world,' Grandark laughed haughtily. 'So you should consider yourself lucky that I had acknowledged you to become my wielder, despite being unworthy.'

The wanderer couldn't help but groan silently to himself. He had heard of this story multiple times as the sword enjoyed boasting how significantly powerful he was which was incomparable with others.

'But it does not mean I don't know your worth.' Grandark continued with a snort, much to Zero's surprise. He did not expect such an arrogant and prideful sword mention something like that, let alone say it to solely him. The astonishment of the wanderer, though amusing to the sword at some point, because he looked like a poor innocent dog, sitting in front of you, looking at you with its surprised eyes as it sees a lump of meat in front of it and asking 'is this really for me?'. Well, since this was Grandark we're talking about, the sword didn't fail to feel irk at the sight of it as well. 'Don't think you can feel so cocky after I've said that! You're worth is still nothing in comparison to myself!'

Immediately, Zero's hope of having the demon sword act (just a little) kinder was destroyed as he gave back his usual grunt.

'But you're better than any other living bastards around… Which is why it's not worth the shit to play this fool's game of attention. It isn't even real anyways… All of it, an illusion…'

* * *

The rest of the mission was agonizingly silent for both the Grand Chasers. Not that being quiet wasn't a usual thing. In fact, whenever Sieghart was on a mission with Zero, he'd actually enjoy the peace. With the exceptional small remark or a haughty boast here and there from the immortal and the demon, in return, would make a soft hum, a sort of acknowledgement to the immortal's strength (which amused Sieghart). Sometimes, they'd go all out and trade little opinions on the random things in life. Even then, it always seemed to fall into sweet silence.

However, in the situation they were in, Sieghart didn't even make a single grunt of pain whenever he was hit accidentally or such. He just kept his mouth shut and went on with his way. Even if the immortal was alone, he'd at least laugh at how pathetic the enemy could be. It had become clear to Zero, for anyone, that he was really avoiding any form of contact with him.

Normally such an attitude from anyone was a normal thing for the wanderer. But when it came from Sieghart, there was an uncomfortable pang inside him.

Even when the mission was over, the only best thing was when Sieghart said, "Let's head back."

And the rest of the journey back home was in dead quietness.

On the other hand, Sieghart had been feeling… Rather Awkward. Especially when he was trying his best not to capture any attention whatsoever after growing conscious of how the wanderer would take a small peek towards him. So he had thought that in doing so, the wanderer would stop stealing glances over him yet instead the wanderer had increased the number of glances he took because of how hard he had been desperately acting like he wasn't around. Then again, Sieghart had never played as the side character so he wouldn't know how he should've acted to decrease his ability to catch anyone's attention. And maybe it was because he was finally noticing how the wanderer always seemed to have watched over his back.

Nah... That can't be... But if it was, since when had he been watching over the immortal... Sieghart immediately snorted to throw out those kind of thoughts.

'Damn it… I liked the old times…' Sieghart sighed weakly. Zero and Sieghart didn't really go to missions together much, seeing as Zero could easily deal with it by himself as he was once a vagabond knight and Sieghart was immortal; nothing would really kill him in battle. The gladiator was usually paired up with the younger inexperienced chasers so he can keep an eye on them (which sometimes ends up the other way around) and the wanderer had gone with the other demons as there was still a slight discomfort between the races of the chase.

But when both the wanderer and gladiator were put in the same one, Zero would simply nod without any coldness. And sometimes, he'd even commented that he'll look forward to learning from the gladiator (which actually pleased Sieghart as he was seen as an experienced person to be respected, especially when it didn't feel like another gesture and it was genuine). In journey, Sieghart talks the most, despite it being quiet the majority of the time. But Zero would always listen. And when he talked, Sieghart found the wanderer's opinions thought provoking, almost amusing.

There was this simple chemistry between them that Sieghart enjoyed, despite knowing that they were complete opposites. And he felt the need to blame himself for disrupting that synchronization. After all, it was Zero whom had initially noticed his own attraction towards the immortal.

But whilst doing so, he did come to realize something. He hadn't concluded to an answer to why Zero had come to grow attracted to him. Assuming that lust was never-** NEVER** the answer, he thought of other things that might have made the demon feel attracted to him.

Power was the first thing that came to mind. And Sieghart shook it out of his head immediately. True, even if Zero didn't do much interaction with the others, it always looked like he was eager to test his strengths amongst the rest and to see if he was in par, or much stronger than expected. Besides, neither he nor Zero had ever engaged in a proper spar, especially when the immortal was always occupied with sleep, running from his great granddaughter or picking fights with that damned chieftain.

Then again, wouldn't Zero, being an observant character, simply watch the way he fought to learn? To add to that, he'd actually ask for a spar instead of waiting restlessly on the side-lines for a chance to fight. Or simply attack a fellow warrior as an invitation for a match (remembering their first meeting in Wrym's Maw?)

So power was crossed out. What was next?

Friendship? That was a random motive. They were already teammates for the same cause. There was no need for any sappy _bromance_ or anything like that. Moreover, Sieghart didn't really care for such a thing. Whoever wanted to be so-called close buddies with him were always pushed to the other guys( strictly speaking they were Ronan, Ryan and Jin) because he found it a pain to put up with. He liked friends, yes, but not to the point where it became crucial to keep the friendship tight and sticking to them 24/7. There were actual limits to being an extrovert.

Frankly, being an immortal may have made him quite an introvert at some point. It was the only solution he had to put up with the loneliness. But this side of his remains as the minor of his basic persona.

Although, there was the exceptional Elesis, but she was his great granddaughter, and Mari, but she was someone he knew he had to put a close eye on for saving-the-world reasons.

However, Zero was a demon. And do demons really want to befriend humans? So far, he had learnt that demons wanted to kill humans (thanks to Dio), they wanted to enslave humans (thanks to Ley) and they wanted to dehumanize them into tools for their personal gain (thanks to Rufus). Then again, most of the time, it's because they didn't like Sieghart to the extent they wanted to do something that humiliated him. However, those speculations were solely based on the immortal's experience with demons. He was aware of the possibility of exceptions.

So friendship might be something he would consider the wanderer wanted, but Zero had a sort of 'buddy' thing with Dio, didn't he? They'd actually have normal conversations with one another (it had been quite a surprise at first but everyone got used to the fact that Zero and Dio had an unhealthy friendship thing, with Dio mostly being the one who takes too much advantage and making it more one-sided on his part). So wasn't that stygian enough? Sieghart might probably treat him nearly the same way anyways (maybe).

Fame was easily crossed out. They were the Grand Chase anyways. Plus, Zero already stood out as the enigmatic one with a mysterious charm. Money was crossed out as well since the wanderer didn't seem very materialistic at all. The only thing (Sieghart tried to remember) that Zero seemed to buy were battle support items – equipment, potions, even pet food for their little (mostly fluffy) army of pets. The man mumbled to himself, trying to figure out what exactly the demon wanted so badly from him that he had proclaimed his attraction.

Then a dark thought came into mind.

To betray him? Get him to like him back so he'd get crushed when he's found out it was all just a joke? Sieghart knew he made enemies and a hefty number as well. To use something as precious as a relationship to crush someone was like a risky bet. But the aftermath was usually fulfilling. You would stay the same twisted evil self while you wear a fake mask to create a bond so close that shattering it would prove mass destruction to the other party.

'No way… Zero would never betray me… That kind of method is more of Ley's taste… Besides, he….'

….

When did he have so much trust in the wanderer that he'd know Zero wouldn't betray the gladiator? Sure, they always had each other's back in battle, especially Zero's firm and prepared movements could sync quite well with Sieghart's brutal recklessness, making a sort of dysfunctional yet perfect harmony with one another. However, that had always been something that was required of the two main vanguards of the Grand Chase. They protected the others and made sure piercing through enemy front lines was a piece of cake for the others. To add to that, Zero needed to be part of the Grand Chase to get closer to Duel, his ultimate enemy, so he was practically forced to work with Sieghart without question.

The man took a small glance back to see the wanderer walking after him. 'At least he's walking behind me… That didn't change.' Sieghart thought. He knew that Zero would always trail after someone, or stay at the back of the party. Everyone was visible in his line of sight, under his protection. 'Then again… Knightmaster probably got him to follow me because she doesn't trust me to do any missions alone…'

Sieghart later admitted that Knightmaster had done the right thing. Sieghart knew himself well enough to know he'll go off sleeping at some random spot and leaving the mission to a pause until it was at a critical point, to which he'll use all force to eliminate the problem. It was effective, yes, but at the same time demoralizing for the people living in the area. As well as expensive…

The problem probably lies in the choice of people she sent. In this case, Zero.

But then, it always assured him to see that the wanderer was at the very back. In these passing centuries, he knew that he had grown careless since the day he became an immortal. With Zero alongside him, he felt quite 'protected' and 'reassured'. It was a nostalgic feeling that he hadn't felt for centuries. It felt like he was still a normal knight, enjoying in what used to seem like endless days of fun-filled adventures and challenges with his old comrades. Sieghart would get battered and wounded, but it was those battle scars he received made him feel proud for they were the signs of his loyalty and trust to the friends he treasured and protected. Now as an immortal, all those wounds and injuries healed at a rapid state, leaving not a single mark of how much he would sacrifice the Grand Chase.

And yet, he found himself thinking that no one else would go their way to make sure an immortal's back was covered except...

He then found the calm demon staring back at him. Sieghart instantly turned front after the very small eye contact, feeling quite flustered.

No… There was no way….

It can't be '_that_' kind of attraction.

He had to stop all this.

Alas, he sighed at the thought of the only person who might be of help to him.

As they reached Serdin's castle, Sieghart immediately ran towards the one place he could find this person, leaving Zero to deal with reports and Knightmaster on his own. "Dear Highlanders, give me strength…" He whispered to himself.

Behind the running gladiator, Zero stared at him. '….. He must…. Really hate me now….'

* * *

'If I'm not mistaken, in today's afternoon,' Sieghart thought as he slinked around the enormous library of books that wasn't touched by anyone except for a certain rune caster, magician and two surprising characters, 'He's usually around here….'

This man he spoke of happens to be one of the two most surprising characters to be found in the haven of knowledge. One of these surprising characters was Zero (well, he's always doing something efficient with his time so it doesn't really seem surprising to the immortal). But the demon only comes by when it was raining as he couldn't spend it on training outside (and unfortunately, Sieghart had just realized he too comes to nap in the library when it rains…).

The other character happens to sit just meters away from a rune caster whom was quietly reading a book that seemed like it came from a pile that she had collected to be studied in this afternoon. His violet eyes were glued onto his own book with full concentration, uncaring of how his demonic presence seemed very out of place in the solitude of knowledge.

When the Sieghart got closer, he found himself frowning in irk. The said person was still reading those books about immortality and what not. Sieghart assumed he picked it up to find out on how to take away the immortality of a person so he could finally kill the person (and predictably, the person was him, being the only immortal around).

"Dio, just give it up. You'll never find anything to kill me you know." The chieftain perked up and immediately glowered at him, recognizing his voice anywhere.

"Well, who knows? Considering, you're an awfully reckless dickhead, it won't take long until I do find something. So what the bloody hell do you want?" He growled back as he stood to prepare for battle, only to cease when a glow of blue light shone above them. The rune caster's mechanism had floated above them with its laser guns ready to fire.

"If the both of you are going to engage in battle, then I suggest a change in location as well as the lack of presence of the book you hold, Dio." She, Mari, had no fear whatsoever against these two overpowered men, and could care less if they were in thirst for blood. She wanted to live a quiet studious life whilst she wasn't on missions or on duty and would do anything for it. "Or I might have to expel you from this library forever."

"Tch… Fine…" Surprisingly enough, Dio backed down and sat back on his chair, still holding on to his book. Such actions mused the immortal. Then again, the chieftain loved the library – it was where he could hide from the summoner's bitching and his butler's naggings. Besides, the book he held onto seemed like the biology of humans, which had already made Sieghart frown (and that alone was enough to make Dio enjoy books).

Dio had a deep interest in human biology, as well as human psychology and human forbidden magic because for whatever reason, he is willing to do anything to acquire any new information that could be proven to be useful for him to use against the immortal. And if possible, remove that bloody immortal trait of his and rid him of this world once and for all. Sieghart could remember that in one of their battles, he had nearly paralyzed the immortal by hitting him by the backbone harshly. The immortal prayed a silent thanks for the fact that Dio had miscalculated immortal's height by a single inch.

"Well, ignoring her, what could this soon-to-be-dead immortal possibly want from the likes of a high-grade demon like me?" Dio sneered at the immortal, seeing as it was he who approached him.

The man merely glared at him at first. He dared not to show his losing side so Sieghart took a chair and sat in front of the stygian, facing death head on like his usual self. "I want to know how to get rid of him."

"What? Can't you get rid of someone yourself? Aren't you the _legendary_ Sieghart? So weak to the point you'd actually come to me for help?" Sarcasm filled his words as Dio continued to jeer the man. The immortal merely glowered.

"Well, this person happens to be that friend of yours. You know, the one with the funny pointed ears sticking out of his head and a mask that covers his face." The raven haired snapped back, only to be hushed immediately by the rune caster, reminding him of their current location. Sieghart smirked. "Though, I guess not even you can get rid of him. I'd say he's much stro-"

"Taunting won't work on me, bastard. And in any case, I'm never helping you to do _that_." The stygian bluntly interrupted, much to the gladiator's surprise. Mostly because this said pointed eared, masked man was his friend and Sieghart believed that he'd help him bring him back to the right path, instead of chasing another man.

Besides, wouldn't Dio be against the whole attraction thing? His best friend had the hots for his arch-nemesis! The thought of that incident sent chills inside the gladiator that rushed into his stomach. He tried to push the memory back, and if possible, delete it. Because for every time he remembered it, he felt the need to do it.

As much as he hated it, he had to confess. He enjoyed savouring the heat of the wanderer. And it was something he had to stop before things got worse.

"Why won't you help me, brat?! It's not like I want him dead or anything! I just want him to stop feeling attracted to me!" The man suddenly tugged the chieftain's horn, making an agonized yelp seep from the purple haired. In exchange, a book landed smack onto the immortal's face. Letting go of Dio, whose rake hand was close to destroying the table in front of him, he soon discovered it was the hetero eyed woman who had thrown a book at him. Mari then glowered to the both of them and continued to read her book and making her awfully complex scribbles in her grimmoire.

The chieftain sighed as he pressed his temple lightly with his non-rake hand, forcing himself to be calm and stood. "I do fucking hate you." He first said to the immortal. "But that ain't the only reason I ain't helping you with this. It's a waste of my time to deal myself with human matters."

Before Sieghart could argue, the chieftain had used his teleportation tricks and disappeared into thin air, leaving specks of his black magic floating into nothingness and the book he was once holding.

The gladiator was baffled. Well, it was normal that Dio would never help him, let alone acknowledge his problems. The stygian hated him anyways – he hated everyone for that matter. However, Zero was a different matter (and probably Alfred). But for some reason, he had just become conscious that the stygian could make such a sour face at the mentioning of the wanderer.

* * *

Ley sighed as she floated around the dining hall. She usually spent her lunch and dinner either alone in her room, around Mari's Laboratory or Amy's Studio, or when she wanted away time from Jeeves, the dining hall. And well, that pretty much explained why the summoner had the nerve to step into the messy human dining hall. Besides, there was always company there to muse her, such as the other Grand Chasers.

To her surprise, she found herself floating towards the one member that she never expected her to associate with. Zero.

Truthfully, the summoner didn't like Zero because of his lack of 'demon spirit' in him. You know, the usual mischievous and malicious attitude with some dominance on the side. But there was no such thing in Zero and she was rather uncomfortable. She'd blame it on her pride as a demon and her dislike for those whom had no shred in their own demon pride. But Ley disliked blaming herself. So she blamed the Grandark.

The Grandark was an egotistical thing which she definitely approved if it wasn't a sword. Its total domination over Zero's ego was worth her respect, but that was just it. Anything else about Grandark literally pissed her off for whatever reason she couldn't clearly point out.

But the Grandark wasn't really near to Zero, which increased her surprise - that may have explained why she found herself approaching Zero in the first place. Yet it doesn't explain why Zero was there in the dining hall in his own little world. Ley noticed just a few tables away; there was the stygian and the bounty hunter, yowling to one another's ears in anger. Knowing the relationship between the demons, Ley assumed that Dio and Zero would be together and Rufus would just sit in the corner, enjoying his aloneness. Something was up with Dio as well.

'Well, one thing at a time,'' she sighed.

"Ley," Zero said without even moving an inch of his head, acknowledging Ley's presence. The summoner wasn't too surprise. After all, she had already approved his abilities to simply sense things around him a long time ago.

"You didn't bring that overpowered bastard of a sword?"

"You would never seem comfortable if I brought him near you," Zero muttered as he glanced towards the female demon. He watched the summoner seating herself comfortably next to him. He rarely talked to Ley but he knew well enough that the summoner always had her guard up around Grandark. She would never accept anything so easily unless all threats were erased.

Ley stared at the wanderer. To her, it had been awfully difficult for her to look at him directly into his eyes - that is, if he had them. The thought of Zero having no eyes made Ley shiver so she immediately disregarded that theory. Nevertheless, she tried to look at him in the eyes. "I'm flattered that you took notice in that. But why would the wanderer of the Grand Chase, the stoic and mysterious one, would want my presence? Or have you finally noticed my greatness over the imbeciles around you?"

Zero shook his head. "Nothing too explicit as that."

"Is that so? Hmph… Well, I'll accept the rejection since you defined me as explicit instead of how that dickhead of a chieftain rejects me…" Ley grumbled in irk before she continued. "So, what is the problem then?"

"What does it mean to be _attracted_ to someone?" Zero suddenly asked her out of the blue that the summoner nearly lost her balance. She stared at him in bewilderment. The overpowered demon sword wasn't around so the wanderer was taking this opportunity to ask such a question to her. It excited her in some way – to aid in pouring oil to the fire, she wonders whether she could be an arsonist at times.

"Well, Zero." Ley hummed. "Why not ask Grandark? He seems like an old wise sword thingy."

"I… Have noticed you are always gazing at the girls of the Grand Chase in a different manner compared to how you look at everyone else." He stated cool-like, "And… I don't think Gran would give me a proper answer since he's upset about me asking this topic…"

"Aww… The sword's actually acting as a proper overprotective daddy who won't let his daughter go meet other boys. How cute." The summoner giggled. She could care less if Zero understood not any of her jokes. "Well, I must say, Zero. You've noticed things that should definitely be kept quiet."

The woman took a glance over to the side, towards where a stygian and a bounty hunter were at. They had been in their own world, ignoring what else happened. Zero took notice of that and nodded to her. He knew that if word spread out, the stygian might leak her sexual preference to their home town and it might trouble her and her family, as well as relations with other demon clans deeply. On the other hand, the bounty hunter would use it against her and sort some sort of devious plan that could destroy her reputation amongst the female Grand Chasers.

"… Yes. I did." He stated simply, expecting Ley to reply to his initial answer. He usually didn't use such cunning methods, but it was out of mere coincidence that those other two demons were present in the castle grounds, let alone in the same room as them.

Ley sighed before she stared at the wanderer. "First of all, there are numerous kinds of attractions. There's platonic attraction, like Elesis' and Arme's friendship. There's aesthetic attraction, like how guys like looking at Lire's beauty. There's also romantic attraction, much like Jin wants to flirt, kiss and hold hands Amy…" The vagabond clearly heard the demon lady growl at Jin's name. "And then there's also sexual attraction. Where you just want to reach out to his pants and rip it apart so you can eat him mercilessly all day long."

The grey haired demon stopped all his movements, realizing that she had used him as an example to the last kind of attraction. And '_him'_ had referred to Sieghart. He lifted up his head and looked back at the woman. "I don't think I'm suited for something so vulgar, Ley..."

"I'm just teasing you." She chuckled lightly. "Well, it could happen. Then again, I didn't expect much from you… But tell me, whenever you see that immortal, what do you want to share- no. What do you crave from him?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you want him to spoil you? Do you want to spoil him instead? Do you want to hold his hand? Protect him? Kiss him? Have sex with him? Rape him? Lock him up in a room and enslave hi-"

"You don't need to elaborate further …" Zero instantly groaned, lightly waving his hand to cease the woman from speaking anything too vulgar. But now that he thought about it, what does he want from Sieghart?

He couldn't think of anything he wanted from the man. He didn't really need any special attention in particular nor did he felt any want to get more. In truth, he was very content with what they both already had.

At the same, he hadn't really given any thought in the other aspect of the problem. What did he want to do to Sieghart? Spoil the man, she said? The demon knew that doing so would encourage the immortal to grow lazier and a bit more demanding. And he was already used to getting ordered around, especially when he had that sword of his. What difference does another immortal make?

But he didn't really mind letting Sieghart have his way. He'd be able to see more and more of the man's true character that he had been concealing. Maybe that was one thing that he would want from Sieghart. But such a thing can't really be demanded really as the other sides of Sieghart couldn't just be forced out anyways.

Though, he did admit he grew a sort of fondness towards the sight of the immortal in his field of vision. He was accustomed to the presence of the man's happy-go-lucky aura he emitted when he was playing around or his simply peaceful mood that he makes whenever he was dreaming or just resting quietly. Zero even missed the sight of him growling in anger whenever he and the stygian crossed paths and his killing aura that radiated furiously in battle.

Just being near him gave him enough satisfaction, he thought. Though his thoughts trailed on to what would happen if they did stuck around long enough and it was inevitable that the memory of Sieghart pushing him down, slowly drowning in pleasure of his touch, came to mind.

Zero recalled that craving which could only be satisfied by the immortal's desires.

"I'm guessing with that silence, you're thinking of a lot of things you'd love that would involve that guy…" Ley purred, floating above him now, bored of Zero's gaze and seeking out for any group of girls teasing one another.

"… It is a good guess…"

And a good guess indeed. The tang of sweetness never did leave the mouth of the wanderer. It wasn't as sweet as caramel but enough to hunger for more. The inhumane grip over him was fading away but he fancied the burn that desperately held him. His slate grey eyes were in pure lust, begging for him. Wanting him.

Was it that he only wanted Sieghart to desire him?

Ley simply hummed as she looked down to the wanderer. "I read a book in the library once. Humans will feel attracted to another, regardless of whether it was pure or immoral, when the three main factors have been triggered; lust, obsession and attachment. How about you consider those things?"

Zero stared back at her "… Are you implying that I am human?"

"Well, I've never seen any demon like you. You may as well be a bit human somewhere if you've got elven ears already." Ley joked before she cleared her throat. "But definitely, you might want to _wonder_ about it..." She let out a small giggle, slightly proud of the petty pun she had made. "Master Sieghart obviously has something towards you. Who knows what it exactly is, but it certainly isn't anything negative. Different than the norm perhaps. Although, it doesn't change the fact that he's a complete idiot to only be conscious about it now. You'll have to either tell him straight out again until the whole thing stays in his head or force the idea into him- My recommendation is to rape him in his sleep."

Zero did not nod as the second idea was a little too much. Nevertheless, he still accepted the advice, partially. Sieghart couldn't be _that_ much of a complete idiot to unconsciously feel attracted to someone. Yet the demon remembered that his great granddaughter was no better and that there might be a reason she was a blockhead at most times as well.

"Oh, by the way…" Ley stood, muttering slightly that the wanderer would know how to deal with it, and looked at him. She then shrugged, thinking that this was Zero that she was talking to. He would pull it off miraculously somehow. "You see, I've dealt with people like Master Sieghart before. You're better off worrying about yourself instead of thinking about Master Sieghart. After all, a double-edged sword has never made anyone _truly _safe."

At first, Zero just stared at her, a little disbelieved. For one thing, the Ley of the Crimson Rivers clan had directly warned him. And that was rare of the summoner since she had always been notorious for all that was havoc – thus the title of her second job, the Harbinger- instead of preventing it. Plus it was not by her usual nature to help anyone...

"You seem quite enthusiastic with this, Ley. There is something that'll benefit you, isn't there….?" Zero questioned and the summoner blinked. She paused for a moment; with thoughts of what exact reply should she give to the wanderer. And then Ley shrugged.

_"I don't know what you're talking about…"_

Before Zero could ask more, the summoner had floated off, with a growth of interest in speaking with the dancer who had just entered the dining hall. But Zero could tell she was not done talking as her whimsical whispers were still heard by him.

'A double-edged sword…'

[Chapter 2 - End]  
Chapter word count : 8,877  
Total word count: 17,661

* * *

**A/N:  
**For those who have faithfully waited for this chapter, I apologise and thank you for doing so. I am also ecstatic to know that there are still people who reread this story and that keeps me motivated.

Again, thank you very much!

-Hishin


	3. Chapter 3

**Reason for Attraction**  
**Story (c) JustSnapCrackle**  
**Grand Chase (c) KOG Studios**

* * *

Chapter 3

"Where's Zero?"

The immortal muttered, looking around the dining hall as he set his tray of food down onto the table. The men around him rolled their eyes, knowing that he merely asked that to avoid the said demon. It had been a week since _that _incident and they were all fully aware of how Sieghart had been trying to avoid the wanderer.

"Well, he hasn't arrived yet, Master Sieghart."

Yet Sieghart kept an uncertain face. He thought he had seen the demon heading to this hall as well. To add to that, he knows from the imaginary schedule of every one in his mind, and that the demon seldom came late to anything. It was as if he moved according to plan, coming at every exact time.

'Odd…. Although he's not one to socialize, Zero does spend a good time in the dining hall', he thought. The dining hall was one of the best places to gain information of any significance as it was another social centre of the castle. One can just sit at the corner and just hear people talk and talk from their daily lives to tales of legendary treasures. But the best kinds of talk were gossips and rumours as it could easily be used as leads for vital information as well as blackmail materials. Of course, the gladiator believed that Zero stayed for the purpose of gaining new information instead of the latter.

Sieghart immediately shook his head. These little bits of information on the demon for the past few days were gradually becoming more vivid in his mind. He had truly paid no attention to them before, but somehow he just seemed to know them, and became more conscious of them now. And the fact that the usual routine Zero had was not followed made it all the more easily to realize.

Putting that aside, he shouldn't even think about the wanderer. Zero wasn't in the room and that was good enough for the poor soul of the gladiator.

But the gladiator found himself constantly watching the door, expecting the wanderer to waltz in, clumsily dragging his sword. Sieghart didn't even notice how much the druid and the fighter sitting beside him steal a couple of spoons of his meal, let alone realize that the spell knight got fed up with their petty attempts and just swapped his own meal with the gladiator's to show his childish bravery.

"Maybe he's wandering around alone then..." Sieghart lightly muttered to himself, unaware that the men around him might overhear him. Fortunately enough, they were more concentrated in their little fight over what used to be the gladiator's portion of lunch. Sieghart then sighed as he slumped down. 'Then again…. The guy was always alone….'

Even in the midst of friends, it was not rare to catch the wanderer's attention drifting away into another world. Yet, he was vigilant enough to keep track of everything around him, so ironically, it wasn't that easy to notice such behaviour. Albeit all that happening around him, Dio seemed to be one of the few that the wanderer would casually open up every once in a while (at those times, Grandark would have been sleeping nearby).

'Actually… That brat has been acting a little strange recently as well…' Sieghart thought as he looked at the far end. The stygian now was across the room, busy trying to capture the attention of the bounty hunter. Both the demons, despite their difference in status and race, had such a strange relationship. And by that, Sieghart meant that whilst the two were able to cope with one another's existence, most of their time together was spent on irritating one another (which was one-sided on Rufus' part as Dio's obnoxious personality would always make the initiative).

"Play with yourself, dick for brains. I'm busy with a project!"

From the far end of the dining hall, Sieghart could recognize the sharp, and quite loud, retort of the bounty hunter before he left Dio alone on the table. Rufus was far from level headed by this point and had decided to waste his time better as he stalked away. Other than their irritation towards one another, Sieghart knew that both Dio and Rufus weren't all too close to one another by just watching their actions together and the discomforting air that grew around them. For starters, they were both 'alpha' males. There was no way would Rufus nor Dio submit defeat towards one another. And it was that same reason why Dio would rather follow around Zero who lacked the ability to be provoked by the stygian's obnoxious personality.

Why was he with the bounty hunter and not hanging around with Zero? It was so clear that the stygian was definitely lonely, his fingers twitching in irk in that solitude. And sitting next to Rufus didn't help at all as everyone knew how the bounty hunter loved solitude and blocked everyone out in an instant, probably with the exception of a couple of certain- useful- company. Plus it was only on rare occasions do the two demons actually have a somewhat peaceful conversation. Somewhat.

But wasn't Zero someone he had always gone to when he was lonely? He shook his head. He didn't really care what happens to Dio. That stygian wouldn't care for him anyways. How does Zero even call that guy a friend, let alone cope with his selfishness?

Sieghart could recall several times when Zero tolerated thousands of abhorrent conversations that the chieftain would come up with. The demon would sometimes reply with a coherent reason that amused the immortal as it was simply logical compared to the insanity the chieftain's ideals. But the fact was that Zero would spend even the slightest amount of time as one of the few people that the chieftain could talk too so freely.

'Zero's a really great guy to be able to put up with him,' the immortal thought. He could imagine that the demon would've treated the immortal the same way if they had a close relationship as well. The demon would comply to his selfish wishes like letting him nap a little more and kept his sleeping location a secret from the rest. If not, he'd quietly listen to him complain about the immortal life and be a trusted person to confide to when everything turns into shit. Zero was really a dependable person if not someone easily taken advantage of.

'Ha… But the poor kid doesn't get noticed, huh…' Sieghart couldn't help but smile sadly for him. Even in battle, it was the wanderer who usually was, as usual, ever so vigilant. And with that level of awareness constantly watching over not just the party, but the whole battlefield, Zero would be the first to move and strike or defend areas that needed him. Although he never raised his voice for the others to tread carefully, it was pleasing to watch him attempt it. In several occasions, he used his awkward silence to even get chasers to move away so they'd avoid silly pitfalls. Regretfully, Sieghart fell in some of them out of pure insolence.

Though, its purpose could have been for the sake of a team that could help him achieve his ambitions, it was still good help. Even willing to play vanguard with Sieghart every now and then when they partied together. And he knew no one really wanted to be near the gladiator in a battle as Sieghart could be ruthless and senseless.

No wait… He was acknowledged. Sieghart noticed him.

"Eh? Master Sieghart? Where are you going?" the fighter asked just when the man stood, leaving his plate.

"Going to wander around a bit." Sieghart quickly replied, noticing how the stygian there was becoming more unnatural. It's not that he was concerned for the stygian.

Rather, he was curious to why Zero wasn't there.

And he forgets why he ran from Zero in the first place.

* * *

The immortal let his feet walk around the world without having the slightest idea to where he was going. He simply followed his usual routine. The thought of the wanderer's attraction to him had somehow slipped his mind. Sieghart was much curious to why the wanderer was a little out of place from his usual pace. After all, that's how he knew how Elesis would stay in the field all day – skipping breakfast, lunch and dinner – whenever she felt horrid or just depressed, and how Lass would constantly take mission after mission when he was bothered by Kaze'Aze, and so on.

He felt the need to know these situations just because he was still the 600 year old man in the group – he was still an adult who had to take some responsibility, right? Or maybe he was really worried about Zero? 'Nah... That isn't possible... This is Zero we're talking about... I know he can take care of himself.'

"Strange…" He muttered to himself when he found himself standing on one of the roofs of Serdin Castle's buildings. Well, of course he would never find Zero on the rooftops. The demon wasn't as heavy as him, but considering the demon's weight _plus that sword_ could make more than a dent on the roofs. It could even collapse. But he knew that from this spot, his little peak of the whole world, he could see Zero would be somewhere roaming in the forest just outside of the castle, seeking for some sad enemy that seemed hostile enough to be challenged and killed as part of his training (and Grandark's sick interest).

But as the man had said, it was strange. The demon was not roaming around in the forest. Even if he did wear green, which obviously, was easily camouflaged in the evergreen trees, Sieghart could always spot those ears of his somewhere in there.

It, however, confirmed to the immortal that the demon was really out of his usual pace. Sieghart thought that he might have been summoned by Knightmaster for a mission but he shook that theory out of his head. They had just returned from a mission together. He wouldn't just go for another one – Knightmaster was definitely strict when it came to such matters anyways. She certainly knew how to keep chasers in line when it came to their conditions and missions.

Sieghart blinked. Was it because of the fact the immortal feigned ignorance earlier on when they were on the same mission together? Sure, that was indeed Sieghart's fault, but how could he act around a person he knows who's seriously attracted to him? It made him feel so foreign and unaware of what might happen. It had been centuries since anyone told him they were attracted to him anyhow. And how much did it affect Zero? Dejection may be one thing, but to actually disrupt his usual pace was the same thing as misery.

The immortal didn't realize how much he felt worried over the wanderer's disappearance.

Where was he? What could have happened to him?

Instead of comprehending his worries, Sieghart realized he would actually resort to running for the sake of the demon.

"Zero!" He gasped out, relieved to see the familiar grey hair and elven ears of the demon after the whole day of searching. It was nearly midnight and Zero was just entering the castle from the east gate. He quickly recalled that the east gate lead anyone from the castle straight towards town, which was definitely weird as the demon seldom went into town unless he had to get ready for another mission. And knowing Knightmaster, she'd never let anyone go on missions continuously for efficient reasons.

Sieghart then stopped. 'Why was I searching for him?'

His heartbeat was still crazily beating from running around and he never thought he would pant so much just to find the wanderer. And after achieving that goal of his, Sieghart was at a loss, unable to comprehend the reason to why he ran and ran. There was nothing in his mind that he could think of to share with the wanderer at the moment, not even their usual topics. Yet the sight of the Zero in his field of vision had somewhat soothed him.

His black eyes blinked in surprise as his body backed away hastily at the sight of a brunette following after the demon so casually.

Rufus Wilde was the bounty hunter of the Grand Chase. And it was common knowledge to everyone in the castle to know that the brunette liked, _loved,_ to be left alone unless it was necessary for him to stick to someone – it was either for bounty purposes, blackmail or something of such sinister acts. The only thing that can be agreed however was that he gave special exceptions to certain people. And certainly Zero was not any one of the certain people to walk beside, especially when the direction came from the nearby town. From what the gladiator knew, Rufus didn't synchronize well with the wanderer because he didn't seem to like how Grandark always glowers at him.

Although, Grandark was far from glowering at all. It was there, sleeping soundly behind the wanderer's back.

"Well, that was a little tiring, but I actually had my share of fun," the brunette casually said, a small smirk in his mouth as he caught up to the grey haired demon's side. There was neither sarcasm nor harshness in his tone. Instead, it was quite light and almost cheery. "But the next time we do that, I swear it has to be on my terms. Fucking Burning Canyon's so annoying recently that he clamped himself next to me and I don't need idiots to interrupt us. I had to use another precious insult to keep him in the Dining Hall!"

"Alright," Zero nodded, "I'll try to make a date that could fit our schedules easily next time."

Did the wanderer say date? Sieghart shook his head, thinking that he must have misheard it or misunderstood. Zero's speech wasn't the best after all. There was still a sort of uneven flow in it that makes it so easily misinterpreted, despite how literal he meant it to be.

"I don't mind if we continued our conversation in my room you know," Rufus snickered, almost too seductively to the gladiator's likings.

"Lass lives next door to you. He will overhear us."

"That's not a problem. I overheard that one of the girls found some truth or dare potion set and they want Ronan, Ryan, Jin and Lass to play along the whole night. At the girls' dorm." The bounty hunter had taken a step closer to the wanderer, his voice had softened. "Dio's probably gone to get pissed off somewhere in some sad elven forest and destroy it all…"

"There is still Sieghart…"

"But you said that he's avoiding you, isn't he?" the brunette chortled. "Well, even I've noticed how he's acting all shifty since _that_ day. I doubt he'll be anywhere near the guys' dormitories."

"Fair enough… Let's go…"

As the footsteps died away into the distance, Sieghart simply stood still, speechless beyond words.

Sieghart sighed as he strolled in the gardens, looking out for a perfect napping spot. He was in the messy forested part of garden that the druid had been working on, seeing as the magician and the rune caster were having their usual tea party near the usual spot he napped in. They were being extremely loud after their fun last night with some sort of truth or dare potion.

WHACK

He then accidentally walked into a branch again. It annoyed him that he didn't notice it beforehand. It was practically in front of him, for hell's sake!

He sighed once more, finally deciding he should just sit at some random base of a tree and sleep under its shade. He could care less if it was prickly and uncomfortable or filled with rotten disease-ridden fungi. He was immortal and nothing would kill him.

But maybe what's in his mind was much lethal to him than any fucking stick poking his ass.

Zero had suddenly ceased to appear before the man for weeks. In many ways, it was a positive thing to the man. He didn't have to worry about Zero's so-called attraction to him nor did he worry about any of the other chasers start any talks about him and the demon. He won't have to worry about when the demon was going after him every day. He won't worry about the demon ever laying a hand on him. And…

He won't ever listen to the soft words of the wanderer. He won't ever fight alongside the wanderer. He won't ever laugh at the wanderer's curiosity or enjoy the calm air around him. He won't even feel those touches again. He won't shiver in delight, feeling himself drained out of his sane mind, leaving nothing but his desire driven instincts. He won't let pleasure take control of him and ravish onto that lies deep within the demon's body. He won't ever hear his name whispered so gently, so spine-chillingly into his ears, making him succumb into the demon's power over him.

An empty void had made its way into the stomach of the immortal.

But he shook his head. Wasn't he supposed to be happy? That the wanderer wasn't going after him anymore? He won't get his ass raped and the wanderer has his curiosities fulfilled by another person. Everyone's happy.

He sighed. Then he slapped himself because he sighed. "What the hell am I doing… I'm supposed to be happy here!"

"Master Sieghart? What's the matter?" The man instantly stopped when he heard his name being called out. He turned around to see that a summoner had been floating under the shades of the tree for a while and noticed how concerned he seemed. Well, he didn't really hide it, thinking he could simply brush it off with one of his usual excuses.

"Well, Red was tailing me again and-"

"Elesis, by this time, should be practicing her dexterity with Lire you know." The summoner interrupted him, catching him off guard. She made a cunning grin. "Sieghart, even if you're the oldest of us all, I will refer myself as the big sister of the Grand Chase. I know what all the girls are doing."

Ley Von Crimson River was always the schemer in every situation she found beneficial to herself. And with that smirk on her face, there was no telling what she was hiding. Sieghart made a mental note to himself that the summoner knew the schedules of the girls (he probably has to keep his guard up to whether the summoner knew any other schedules as well) as he narrowed his eyes on her.

"What do you want, Ley?"

"To be rid from my boredom," she huffed immediately, "Jeeves won't stop nagging to me about the shit load of work from Elyos that must be done as the Crimson River's pride. He bothered me too much that I sent him off to a wild goose chase whist I play around. The question is Master Sieghart, what do you want?"

She made a sly smile that made the immortal shy away from her. Who knows what she's planning inside her head? Nothing bad ever comes out from associating with demons _like her._ He emphasized demons _like her_ very much for he knew how much trouble it was to collaborate with her. Besides, Sieghart was well aware of the existence of other demons who were much cooperative in a more respected manner… Like Zero.

"Zero," it had involuntarily slipped out of the treacherous mouth of the immortal as he thought of it. Sieghart bit his tongue to silence himself further from revealing anything more to the heiress.

"Zero? Hmph," It wasn't strange to see the summoner to snort at the wanderer's name, but just meant that the wanderer did something that had unconsciously upset her or he did nothing at all with her (she was a woman who really loved attention). "As usual, he is simply incomprehensive. Heed not your attention to him. He's probably enjoying that master-slave kink of his with his good-for-nothing sword. Honestly, the sword should take care of his pet better."

"But if you ask me, I'd like to see him make a move on Rufus instead. Oh the beauty in the savages of the inner lust." She hummed at her own thoughts. On the other hand, Sieghart did nothing more than to stare at her. There was no way Zero could 'make a move on' anyone, let alone Rufus. From what he knew, Zero was beyond reserve that he can't just do such indecent things or even something as cute as a friendly hug. And the way Ley hummed only sparked more suspicion on her and everything. Well, she was always laughing at her own vulgar thoughts. Ley, despite being a high class demon had found humour in dirty jokes.

Even so..

"What do you mean by that?! Is this some sort of joke to you?! This is Zero we're talking about!"

"Calm down!" The summoner had warped a few feet away from the man as she avoided getting grabbed by the little clothes she had to be interrogated harshly. "Why the heck do you worry about him so much?"

Sieghart's fingers twitched cautiously away from reaching out to the barely-labelled-as clothes that Ley wore. Not to say he treated Ley with utmost care but he was surprised to how rough he had reacted upon hearing Zero's condition from the demon. It wasn't like him to worry about someone battle-ready like Zero. There was no need in the first place. He understood their situations well.

Well… Perhaps not anymore. Sieghart was seriously worried about the demon's strange behaviour.

Why? He himself could not understand it.

Ley on the other hand huffed, flicking her hair behind her after brushing any 'traces' of the immortal on her. The man she saw now was not the great Sieghart she knew but a man who was in utter confusion. She sighed gravely and rubbed her temple lightly. "Master Sieghart… What do you really think of Zero?"

His face instantly turned red at the moment the woman asked him that. There were too many things to describe him, yet nothing seemed well enough to be said. Or worth defining such a piece of work. Seeing this, Ley made a satisfied hum, yet she kept her fiendish stare on him, still waiting for an answer.

"Well, Master Sieghart? You can't possibly be blushing without a reason." She giggled, lifting her body up into the air and floating lazily in front of him. But she gradually calmed herself at the sight of the immortal's menacing glare towards her. "That's no way to treat a lady, you know."

"And teasing your seniors with bad jokes is no way to treat your seniors."

"True." She nodded calmly, "But you know… You do seem bothered around that guy and I'm interested in helping you."

"And why do you think I'll let you help me considering you're you?"

Ley blinked at the man and smiled. There hadn't been a human who was so cautious with her actions for a long time. She was well known in the demon community to be mischievous and malicious, but not so much to the humans (and elves, but she cared no to that race as they were pretty much human like if not for their pointy ears). The other races have yet to taste a slice of her devious acts. Then again, Sieghart was the old and maybe wise man. He definitely knew the dangers any demons possessed.

"Well, Master Sieghart." The summoner landed onto her feet in front of him, showing not a single drop of fear to him. "Let's just say I'm taking a risk to help you and if all of this works, I won't have to worry about my own relationship getting endangered."

Sieghart stared at her with disbelief. He knew not of any relationship that the woman was in. Of course he cared about it- it . He didn't even know that she had a relationship to begin with. Then again, Ley was the queen of secrets, being one who was raised in a noble life and knew the tricks and trades to negotiation. But never mind that. The question was how could both of he and Zero affect it? He knew that he'd never make a move on any girls in this present world and Zero was just too inexplicable for anyone to be interested in unless given a hellish amount of hours.

He then thought of Dio. The stygian had always been best friends with Zero. It wouldn't be a surprise if they ended up together. Moreover, he recalled that the stygian had once screamed in anger to the summoner in a fight that they were once in a relationship together and he never enjoyed a single bit. Ley must have been feeling regret about it and wanting to try and reconcile with him.

Nevertheless, that didn't really bother him much. The summoner can stay as a spinster for the rest of her life and he wouldn't care. She might as well deserve it for causing trouble to everyone around her. Besides, it was obvious to him that Dio thought not of a relationship deeper than what it was now with Zero.

Actually, the chieftain seemed a little too pissed off at the sound of the name of his friend just a couple of days ago. He would have to investigate that.

On the other hand, Rufus posed as a threat to the immortal.

As of late, he had noticed how often the bounty hunter slipped out of his daily plan of actions, sometimes just vanish into thin air. And at late nights he would be entering the castle with a certain wanderer. Multiple times had he tried to follow after Rufus, but Rufus wasn't the easiest cookie trail to follow, or see with the naked eye.

Sieghart had even interrogated the next closest person to the bounty hunter, Lass. But the thief knew nothing at all. Even Lass himself was quite suspicious about and had the same ideas as to investigate it himself. It was only a matter of time until Lass would recover the necessary details and Sieghart would casually ask them out of him.

But time was not of the essence in this case. The thought of Zero terribly attached to Rufus troubled him. There was no way he'd fell comfortable, knowing that the bounty hunter was wrapping himself all over the grey haired demon, leaving bite marks wherever visible to clearly show that Zero was his.

But he grew to hate that even if it wasn't Rufus who managed to have the wanderer, someone else might take him away.

He hated the fact that Zero might never caress him with those frosty touches of his, or whisper his name in that low alluring tone, or even just stay next to him like a wonderful partner he was. He hated the fact that he demon may never treat him like the way he was treated now, humouring him by listening to his idle boastings and caring for him by just watching over him, despite him being an immortal. He knew that the demon was attracted to him so shouldn't he stick with him instead of going after another?!

"Wow, Master Sieghart… I didn't think you were so serious that you'd even let out your rage aura…"

Sieghart snapped to reality at the voice of the summoner and felt flushed. He personally knew that whenever his rage aura slipped out of his systems, he was slowly succumbing to his instincts. And his instincts told him his true desires, his real feelings.

He sighed. The facts were there, lying in front of him like a brick wall. And he'd been trying to run away from it for too long. He had always faced danger head on, especially when he had become immortal. Yet such a simple thing as attraction could send him cowering away so easily, it almost made him so despicable, unworthy of his legendary title.

"I just don't know, Ley…." He sighed. "Things have really become complicated shit…"

"Then let's break down complicated shit into simple shit." She bluntly said, dragging him back to the base of the tree and sat there next to him. "We aren't in a rush to do anything important so we've got plenty of time."

Sieghart began to feel wary of the summoner's enthusiasm to help him. There was no way she'd even do this just to reclaim back her man. But, he thought, it was better than nothing…

He was suffocating enough in these complicated feelings.

"…. Promise you won't laugh?"

Ley gave him a reassuring smile. "I won't"

After hearing that reply, Sieghart just told her his story briefly as she reservedly listened to him. When he ended, Ley, at first blankly blinked repeatedly at him, not believing his tale. But after he went into detail, Ley laughed without reserve after hearing the immortal rant out everything to her. "Master Sieghart, I didn't know you were such a worrywart!"

"Ley… You promised not to laugh…"

"I didn't. I only said _I won't_ promise I'll laugh." She huffed after the last sigh of laughter escaped her lips, earning herself yet another insulting title from the immortal. "But really, Master Sieghart. I didn't expect you to be tormenting about such a thing, you who is always boasting about how 'legendary' and 'awesome' you are. I bet Dio would do anything to hear this…"

"Ley…" The man growled.

"Of course I won't do such a thing, Master Sieghart. If he knew, he'll be bugging me for more of these embarrassing moments of yours and it'll be a pain in the ass." The summoner then cleared her throat, putting all jokes aside "Master Sieghart, you just made Zero sound like the perfect mate."

"W-what do you-"

"You treat Zero so differently. You lust for him. You enjoy how he treats you in such a sensual manner. But you don't just desire him sexually. You are obsessed with him. You know about his usual routines and his little habits. I mean, I don't think anyone would go their way to notice that Zero always strayed to the back or he stayed up late, let alone care about it. And you think about him far too much."

Ley then stopped for a bit, having something come in her mind before she continued. "Well, you don't show your care easily, seeing as we both know he's can take care of himself far better than you'll ever do. But instead, you do show some concern to him, no? You trust him being watching your back and you simply enjoy his company. And as you said earlier when you were telling me all this, you say that he deserves someone far better than you. That alone already shows some sort of care."

"And then you have the need to have him by your side. I mean, judging from your reaction when I said doing this will help my relationships, I guess you thought about what would've happened if I didn't butt in, right?"

As Sieghart groaned in defeat, Ley began to give him the final blow.

"You are capable of feeling attracted to him."

* * *

Yawning lazily, Seighart made his way towards the cafeteria restlessly. He was feeling insomniac, continuously thinking about what Ley had made him realise the day before.

'I'm capable of being attracted to Zero..'

'That's like I have emotional feelings to Zero..'

'Hell, does that meant that I like him...?'

"DAMN IT, SEIGHART! THIS IS SO NOT LIKE YOU!" Sieghart yelled at himself, outraged at his own trivial thoughts. It frightened the nearby maids as a squeal of shock was made. Seighart immediately turned and apologised as he scratched his head in embarrassment that he accidentally let his thoughts go out loud. Knowing the laid back Seighart had reappeared, the maids laughed it off, seeing the rare sight of a faint blush on his face.

'Like hell. She's just spouting bullshit to me again… Like every other thing she tells me when she tries to help me…' Sieghart snorted to himself. Right. There was no way the legendary hero of 600 years could believe the words of a demon, especially when she was notorious for being a sneak and a sly woman. He sighed for the _zillionth_ time that day, scratching his head. 'Then what the fuck's wrong with me...?'

Without realizing, he had knocked over a bucket and tripped over. Screeches of maids and splashes of water filled the hallway, leaving a messy gladiator on the ground, irked beyond comprehension.

Laughter behind him disturbed him even more. But the strange thing was, he recognized not whose laughter it belonged to.

"My my, Master Sieghart. I know now where Elesis gets her clumsiness from."

"You're mistaken, Lothos. Elesis is the first in the Sieghart family to be clumsy."

As the gladiator got up, he saw Knightmaster with a smug face, approaching him as if she had found something new. She always kept a straight stoic face around nearly everyone, be it her superiors or her juniors or the random commoners, but only a small handful of people had managed to weave through her barricades and see a gentle side of her. These people were notable by the way they would call the knight by her name instead of her title. And apparently, Sieghart had just learnt it was with these close people, she would reveal her cheery laughter to the world.

"I don't seem to see it that way, Master Sieghart. You see, I've worked with Esclud once on a recon mission and he's a natural klutz."

"Shut it Lothos." Sieghart whined childishly, pulling the bucket off of his foot and pushing it to the side. "Esclud wasn't a klutz. The kid's always lost in thought."

"And it seems that you are, as well, lost in thought." Knightmaster pointed out.

"Oh? And since when do you care?"

"Since it's going to affect the whole Grand Chase." The blond knight retorted immediately. Her seriousness would always return when something jeopardized her ambitions. In this case, the crumble of the chase was something she wanted to avoid. And if she had approached Sieghart, it meant she knew clearly that Sieghart was the cause of trouble.

"It's just a phase, Lothos. I'll get over it soon."

"Soon is not good enough, Master Sieghart. I don't give a damn about what problem you're having but it's got to stop now." Knightmaster commanded, poking hard at the man's chest in fury. She was literal about having no concern towards the Chaser's individual problems. She knew herself well that she wasn't a miracle worker nor was she a counsellor so there was nothing she could really do but to nudge the chasers on to getting over their problems. "It's not obvious, but even the younger members of the chase can tell something is wrong with you. They just gave up the thought to ask you about it since you'd just 'brush them off'. And this is affecting the overall morale of the Grand Chase."

"Well, they all-"

"That isn't all, Master Sieghart. Even the demons are affected by this as of late. Dio's pace had changed to accommodate it and he's quite violent about it – I had to send him to Archemedia so he'd let loose of his steam there. Reports are telling me he's doing more damage than usual. Ley is awfully friendly to practically everyone that it's bringing about suspicion and distrust despite the fact that so far it has been nothing but beneficial. And Rufus and Zero has been playing hooky together and hasn't shown up to my office lately for missions and it's piling up. I suspect they're involved in something together-"

Knightmaster stopped at the sight of a purple flame flicker above the gladiator. His eyes were glowing intensely in fury. "What do you mean Rufus and Zero have been together? Do you know anything about it?"

"A-as I said," Knightmaster tried to stay calm near the angered man in front of her. Nearly loss for words in the sudden encounter of the infamous rage more, she choked out what she could grasp from her throat. "It is possible that they're going to plot against us, or to leave the Chase themselves. The latter being more realistic."

_'__He's leaving you.'_

"They've spoken to no one about this nor have they shown visible signs of leaving but I had their financial accounts watched observed and noticed that both have taken out generous amounts of money over the few weeks."

_'__Taken by someone else.'_

"And Rufus had been carrying out most of his items from the castle and-"

_'__Rufus.'_

The blond knight only stopped speaking when she took note at the second spark of a purple lit above the gladiator. It was then followed by an immediate burst of flame.

"I'll… FUCKING KILL HIM!"

* * *

Located right next to the sparring field, the cafeteria was usually packed with people, from foot soldiers to military officers. Regardless of status, everyone comes to the cafeteria for food. Well, it's only packed in the busy meal hours. As of now, only a couple of people had remained in the room, probably in their break or simply wanting to seek for idle chat, uninterested in patrolling the already well-guarded castle. Two of these people were Rufus and Lass. They were there not for the stated reasons. Rather, with a chessboard in between them, the two were having a peaceful game of chess.

In actuality, it was something Ronan introduced to the two as an alternative from always trying to compete with one another's strength to the point killing was necessary.

"Hey Rufus. Seriously, why the hell are you hanging out with Zero?" Lass asked as he played his turn, moving his knight forward and shoving a white bishop off the board.

"Again? Look, it ain't anyone's business but my own." Rufus snorted back. "Unless…. You'd strip naked for me, I might consider." After giving Lass a mischievous smirk, he took advantage of the thief's shock and pushed forward his rook and knocked off a pawn that was too close for comfort to counter him with irritation. Looking at the black and white battlefield, Rufus smirked. "Check."

"D- Dork! You don't use those kind of things on me!" Lass snapped, trying to regain back his composure as he started thinking of a quick counteraction. "Ugh… I didn't even see it coming and it's pretty obvious you'd drop that there…." But the blue eyes kept his eyes staring at the brunette's.

Although they were half-brothers, Lass wasn't one to easily worry about Rufus. He was fully aware of how the brunette was much stronger compared to him, especially with the couple of years of experience behind him. But lately, the bounty hunter always returned to his room at night, all covered in scratches and bruises. There was even once where he saw multiple shrapnel deeply embedded in his arm, yet Rufus spoke nothing to Lass except to help him heal it. In the day however, whilst his wounds easily disappeared, so did more of his guns and explosives.

It had all started on that day. Zero had approached Rufus for some unknown reason. Lass at first brushed it off, thinking it was just a trivial demon matter that they had to speak of together. After all, there wouldn't be anything else that would connect the two together, right? Yet somehow, the thief had once again over analysed it all. Who could blame him?

Days passed with Rufus covered up in small but numerous wounds at nights and Zero disappearing often, and finding the two 'hanging out' at every other hour. To where and why, was still something he had yet to find out. Rufus being the expert of the hunt knew what to expect from a stalker and simply vanished from the thief's line of sight and left no traces to follow. Zero on the other hand seemed to bore the thief as he ends up just casually walking around doing nothing- the wanderer probably sensed the thief and diverted his actions

Zero and Rufus were up to something together. And it did not please Lass knowing that this was happening.

BAM

Both brothers collapsed from their seats, chessboard followed suit and crashed onto the floor. One by one the pieces of their little wooden army fell. Both pair of eyes of blue and red looked up to see the entrance of the dining hall.

The doors were rammed down and standing on them was a deranged, psychotic gladiator in full rage mode. Eyes glowering in fury, the black irises shot across the room like a bullet, scanning for the kill.

"Damn, I think it's clear to say neither of us saw _that_ coming…" Rufus nearly stuttered out. He had cleared up his throat afterwards to try and establish back what composure he once had before the two had fallen onto their butts. But really, he had gone into deep thought. How was it possible that neither he nor Lass felt the charging presence of the murderous aura that leaked in bucket loads from Sieghart?

Unless, he thought, Sieghart had let his rage reach to the peak of its stages. He was the ultimate predator, concealing all presence and raw emotions even in broad daylight. Powered by instincts, all his aptitudes skyrocketed beyond his limits and making him the perfect killer.

The thought of it made Rufus shiver – A sort of pleasurable feeling bubbled inside of him when he grew conscious of the killer's instincts the gladiator possessed. Surely, it was obviously just an interest as a bounty hunter who'd love to achieve a level of murderous intent to that stage. Yet he was aware that there was something else that grew inside of him.

"Shit… The way Master Sieghart is right now is seriously turning me on." The bounty hunter smirked, licking his lips in a lustful manner. A desire fizzed up from the bottom of his guts. To dance with the raged gladiator, the clashing of swords and guns ringing into their ears into the night. To pin him down whilst he growled in ferocity, struggling to achieve freedom, groaning in angst for troubled feelings of lust and hatred to his hunter. Rufus shivered at the thought of it – him grinding down the legendary Sieghart in his infamous raged mode.

WHACK

Lass just had to give the brunette a good smack on the head.

"O-ow! What the hell was that for?!"

"D-don't just stare at him like that! We're in a situation where normal people think this is a fucked up position." Lass growled at the brunette, keeping his head low from the line of sight of the immortal standing metres away from them. As he pushed Rufus down, the silverette stared in confusion to the unknown on the other end.

Why would Sieghart just snap like that? The man wouldn't just-

The immortal perked up and smiled twistedly. "Rufus! There you are, ya son of a bitch!"

Knowing Rufus, the silverette expected him to retreat because they were both aware of the sudden huge difference in strength between he and the immortal.

Unfortunately, Rufus stood up straight and hollered the immortal over to him. Drawing out his eyeteeth, he smirked lustfully. "Let's dance to death's door, shall we?"

"Fucking idiot! This ain't time to get riled up just because you're facing someone stronger than you!"

"Think about it, Lass. When will you, in your lifetime, get the chance to fight the legendary Sieghart in his greatest form?! Not even that spoilt brat of the Burning Canyon could fire him up like th- ACK!"

"Wha-?!"

With one swift motion, Sieghart had dashed for the kill, shoving off the thief across the dining hall and grabbed onto the demon's throat, crushing it ever so slowly, enjoying the angst face he made. Rufus twitched and jerked in the gradual loss of oxygen in his limbs, desperately clutching onto his life as his right hand tries to lightly claw off the immortal's hands on his neck.

"Wah… I'm beginning to understand why you demons enjoy this slow, torturous killing…" Sieghart laughed, smiling happily behind the cloak of darkness.

BAM BAM

"FUCK!" The immortal roared, reaching to the two bullet wounds over his shoulder, fingers following suit into flesh to dig them out. Rufus fell onto his knees, gasping the air hungrily. His left hand still possessed one of the eyeteeth and its barrel was warm from blasting bullets. The bounty hunter could not help but let out a sigh and a chuckle. He was definitely amused to this Sieghart.

He wondered what on Aernas drove the immortal into the edge like that? And why was he the target? Nevertheless, it had Rufus shivering for more. He hadn't felt such adrenaline bursting through his veins like his life depended on his pure skills and determination in so long.

"Want some more of that? Then come and get some!" the brunette snickered as he scampered towards the large tinted glass of the dining hall. Launching himself through the window with a crash, he dashed towards the training grounds just meters away. Obviously it was better for the two of them to have their match at a proper field. Lass was still there. If he regained conscious, the silverette would probably try to stop them in that small area. So being in an open field keeps Lass from trying to tie both of them down _easily_ and stopping the fight.

Just the thought of that for a second meant that Rufus had lost his focus for a second. And in that one second, he saw a real monster appear in front of him.

"What the he-"

An uppercut launched the bounty hunter into the sky. Sieghart cackled madly, watching him rocket through the air. "Come now! Are you treating this seriously?!"

As the bounty hunter crash landed on the far side of the field, the gladiator quieted down. He sensed a chaser stalking around him – no soldier would dare come close to him on the battlefield, especially when he was in his rage mode so it was obvious someone of the Grand Chase members were closing in. Lass whom had already gotten conscious from that blast was the obvious answer. He was at a safe distance that Sieghart told himself not to forget to praise the kid for being smart enough to stay out of his range of grabbing. Something he rarely did.

Nevertheless, Sieghart ignored him. Even though he was in range, it did not mean that the gladiator would choose to acknowledge every single being that waltz into his area. His eyes were fixated on the bounty hunter that had just crash-landed metres away from him.

If he erased the existence of that bloody bounty hunter, maybe he'll feel at ease inside of him.

'Feel at ease?' It was a moment of silence inside him around the fury that surrounded him. Rufus wasn't a demon he usually associated with, so the gladiator harboured no particular hatred towards him. A bit of spite maybe but nothing as to murder him. 'How would this make me feel at ease?'

Bullets zipped passed him and Sieghart was once again clouded in rage at the sight of the bounty hunter. Rufus was indeed satisfied despite already dislocated his jaw and possibly broken one of his limbs. And that satisfied face of his made the blood in the gladiator boil more than how much it already had.

Mocking him as if Rufus had stolen away what was rightfully his.

"You fucking son of a bitch! I'll fucking kill you!"

* * *

"Zero!"

The elven ears twitched at the sound of his name being called. He did not turn to see who it was that had called for him. The voice enough told him it was Lass. And from the state of it, he was quite desperate. But Zero rather kept his head fixated at one direction. Towards the training field.

"I presume it is about Sieghart?"

"Well duh." the thief replied bluntly. "Who else would radiate enormous amounts of rage like that? But that's not the point! Dio is still out on is mission so Rufus is fucked up if you don't help him because you're the only one that can match up to that dickhead!"

Zero blinked at the thief. He was well aware that Sieghart had his outrageous moments, particularly when something unsettled him greatly. And most of the time, the cause would have been the fault of the stygian for threading on areas he shouldn't be in. So hearing Rufus was the cause of it was utterly shocking considering the bounty hunter liked staying in neutrality to keep all advantages open to him when the time comes for him to utilize it. And Sieghart in particular was one wild card he would keep in reserve safely.

'The Bounty Hunter is actually getting hunted?! Wahahahaha! Now this is a show to watch!' Grandark laughed eagerly. 'I knew that bratty asshole would get his ass bitten one day!'

The cheery atmosphere coming from the great demon sword immediately caught Lass' attention. His blue eyes narrowed with suspicion and then darted towards Zero. "I don't really understand why he's attacking Rufus but... Is it possible that it has to do with why Rufus has lately been hanging out with you?"

Lass had asked innocently with a slight fear deeply embedded in his tone. On the other hand, his movements contradicted him. The thief already had has hands reaching out to his knives, cautious of what word may be said by the wanderer.

"… That is not possible. What Rufus and I have been discussing about has nothing to do with Sieghart..." Zero reassured, lightly shaking his head. Yet the thief still held his suspicions towards the demon. He sighed, shaking his head. "Lass. You might have been misunderstanding the situation... Rufus and I have simply been discussing about the different set of traps that would be easily established at different dungeons. I asked him if he could create some traps for me to train with and he gladly accepted me as his test dummy for some of his prototypes as well."

"Then the wounds?!"

"Explosive mines with shrapnel and bullets. Rufus seemed awfully interested in replicating one of your mines so he tells me he spends some of the nights at the dungeon site to create them and asks me to try them out by midday. It is quite costly though to get more shrapnel and explosive materials so he seemed quite satisfied with most of his results and special tweaking as of late. I had offered him some aid, but he seemed capable of relieving his own wounds. You seem to possess the reason he wishes this not to be leaked out but I'm afraid with the current circumstances, secrecy must be put aside."

"O-oh..." Lass sighed in relief and embarrassment. He seemed to have been worried about the bounty hunter and his weird behaviour recently. Well, the thief was his half-brother. It felt natural for him to care for the bounty hunter's well-being. But Lass also sighed because now he understood why Rufus had been keeping it all a secret. Who wouldn't feel embarrassed that they looked up to their younger siblings' ideals? All the same, he sighed that Zero wasn't particularly involved with Rufus and just seeking more ways to adapt and survive.

Lass then continued, raising his voice in defence. "T-then… What of Sieghart? Why is he attacking Rufus?!"

"He has no such reason to fight with Rufus. I don't unders-"

It clicked in Zero. It was possible for Sieghart to have felt the same way as what Lass did. If Lass had thought that there was something happening between both he and Rufus, there would be no other reason Sieghart would do the same as well. But to what extent had he misinterpreted the situation, to the point he would go so far as to assault Rufus?

'…. Good fucking Elyos… The bounty hunter probably fucked around with that shitty immortal. Why else would the dick go attack him?' Grandark rolled his eyes in frustration to the silence. The sword was getting restless – he had just listened to something that was interesting enough for him to actually feel the need to participate and wreak havoc, only to be stopped by some silly interrogation and detective play. 'Let's just deal with them and be on our way… I certainly don't want to waste our time in Knightmaster's study listening to her bitch on and on about _human morals_ and bullshit. We're already wasting time being in this whole chase nonsense.'

"H-hey…. Why did you approach Rufus in the first place?" The thief queried curiously. "I mean… I'm much better at making traps than Rufus so…"

"There were more convenience posed if it were Rufus than you. He easily looked beyond the personal and emotional factors when business and confidentiality mattered. If it were you, I would be subjected to days of suspicion. From the rest of the chasers as well. Such a small matter needs not to have much effort wasted. Even then, the fact that he was a demon made much sense in terms of the social norm."

Zero paused. True, he actually approached Rufus in the first place because being with a demon companion may make it seem more natural, rather than humans. It made sense that Sieghart would get worked up if he had mutual feelings towards Zero in accordance to Ley's words. Sieghart would be one to quickly notice why Mari was not the better candidate instead – Unlike Lass' subtle and silent traps, hers were more explosive and ended with more than a bang. But there was still that final piece of the puzzle that made it all too meaningless. Why attack Rufus to the point rage mode was necessary?

Rage mode had been the representation of Sieghart's instincts and desires.

If killing Rufus was part of his desire due to Zero's temporary attachment to the brunette that would be no same as to say-

…

Jealousy?

Jealousy was a dangerous emotion, as far as Zero understood. It was occasionally a feeling of envy and want, which would be simple to brush off. But if left unsupervised, it could grow and grow, sucking in all the negative thoughts in one's mind and heart. And possibly drive anyone to do anything to get what they desired. Killing included.

Sieghart was yes, very _very_ capable of feeling jealousy. He had always sneered at Dio whenever the chieftain took hold of the glory, or pout when Elesis was dragging along someone else instead of him to spend a full day of fun at town. His level of jealousy varied to different situations. So the thought of the immortal being jealous was possible.

But of what reason? There was nothing too drastic that Zero had done to ignite such a feeling to arise in the immortal. Maybe the fact he had heeded to Ley's advice to mind his own business for now- to worry about himself as she said it- had created more than just a simple trigger to the chain reaction that lead them all to this point. All it took was to tell himself he was going to improve on an area of field missions he felt weak or left unsupervised. It, of course, decrease the amount of time he spent in the presence of Sieghart to deal with Rufus' traps could be considerable but that was something-

It can't be… Sieghart wouldn't be jealous because- It's too much for even the wanderer to believe… It was too childish- But _this is Sieghart_ we were talking about…

Zero shuddered and waved the thief lightly. "I apologise but I sincerely had no intentions of any sort of harm towards your half-brother."

"What do you mean, Zero?" Lass questioned worriedly. The switch flipped and he was already prepared to strike. "What happened?! What did you do?!"

'Zero…' Grandark growled furiously. 'What the fuck did you dare planned and done behind my back?!'

Zero shook his head and slipped around the silver haired man, already accelerating his pace towards the training field.

"Rufus is in terrible danger."

[Chapter 3 - End]  
Chapter word count : 9,443  
Total word count: 27,104

* * *

**A/N:**  
To be honest I'm not into the game as much as before, especially since it's official end. But I can proudly say Long live the Chase and this story will not end! Yet!  
Thank you for reading with me once again.

-Hishin


	4. Chapter 4

**Reason for Attraction**  
**Story (c) JustSnapCrackle**  
**Grand Chase (c) KOG Studios**

* * *

Chapter 4

Red had always been an interesting colour to him. It was the colour of passion and pleasure. It was the colour of anger and rage. But right now, it was also the colour that stained the earth beneath his feet.

Rufus sighed at the scenery. Was this the end of the infamous bounty hunter of the Underworld? A question he asked himself. An answer he could care less knowing. He couldn't feel the tip of his fingers touching the cold metal plate of the eyeteeth's triggers. Actually, he realized he couldn't even feel any of his fingers at all. Or his limbs. Or the rest of his body. Except that he knew everything felt tremendously heavy.

The colour of red decorated him almost too beautifully, even if it was his own blood.

He forced himself to move, to bring his body back up. He knew even he had a choice to when he should end his life. He chose not to do it now.

Not whilst he was still facing the legendary Sieghart, bathed in his blood, enjoying the texture of the thick liquid that dripped into his mouth.

Oh such a scene before him made him tremble in pleasure and shiver in delight. He admits that the man was actually alluringly exciting to him.

Rufus Wilde licked his lips. "Damn it... Makes me want to break such a fine beast harder than ever..."

Red was definitely the best colour that described this, Rufus thought. The rage that radiated from the immortal, the pleasure the brunette desired for in gaining victory in this battle, the violence that accompanied the whole mess.

Rufus staggers even before he stood up straight. He knew he had lost enough blood to stay conscious, let alone be mentally focused on his objectives. Yet he continued to feel the adrenaline and excitement coursing throughout his veins. It wasn't over till his last breath. He moved his shoulders for a bit and only his left arm responded.

'Least my prosthetic arm isn't dead yet...' Rufus smirked and took aim at the immortal in front of him. The immortal was as deeply wounded as he was, taking all kinds of fatal shots from the heart to the head. Yet it awed the brunette that he would simply rip out the bullet and let his body heal himself, ignorant of the pain that accompanied each vital strike. And still, Sieghart kept that same hateful glare at him.

'Interesting...' he thought, 'I seriously want to tie him up and fuck him...' He grinned now at the thought of it. Sieghart, with all his strength, trying to break the chains that bounded him apart. He would hiss in angst or roar in pain at each time he was rammed roughly. Cry out in defiance that he would never submit to this twisted form of pleasure as he gets whipped or slashed brutally - or better yet, be gunned down repeatedly. Ah that would be lovely. And if Rufus could leave wound marks on the immortal's body, he would decorate the toned skin eagerly, carving his name to mark the immortal as his own personal prey. Humiliate the immortal, thrash that huge ego of his into nothingness and drive him to a corner where he was blinded of everything but his pure hatred for the brunette demon.

And pursue only this demon.

A twisted form of attachment was the only reasonable explanation to such sickening methods. Then again, this was Rufus of all people we were talking about. He had once proclaimed himself as the Sadists of all sadists, and he wasn't ready to throw away such a title befitting for a demon of his calibre.

And then the bounty hunter thought, ' I must admit, although I choose not to die here, to bring down the Legendary Sieghart and degrade him into a worthless traumatized victim... That is worth to die trying...'

With every last ounce of adrenaline, Rufus dashed towards the gladiator. He could see that Sieghart had clenched his hands and was ready to pummel his face down. It made the bounty hunter aware to how sluggish he had grown to be after the massive loss of blood that the gladiator didn't need to conceal his attacks, let alone try to accurately hit the bounty hunter.

Darkness was at the corners of his vision, creeping around to take over him. The last thing he saw was a final flash of white instead of the red he was looking forward to.

* * *

"LET ME FUCKING GO!" The gladiator roared, struggling out of the arm lock of the wanderer behind him. He was only a few metres away from ripping apart the bounty hunter. He had already made Rufus suffer more than what he thought was enough. But when the bastard showed such a smug look, Sieghart felt that it hadn't been enough all over again.

Like he thought initially, wiping that brunette demon's existence off the face of Aernas was the best choice he had ever come up with. At least there would be some peace in mind after achieving it.

If only there weren't Lass around to keep the bounty hunter from taking one more step. He would've given Rufus a last blow in the gut, forcing out the last of his will to fight and then slam him down to the ground. Afterwards he would've kicked the bounty hunter onto his back, making sure the last thing he saw in his life was Sieghart's satisfied look and the Gladius' tip falling onto his forehead. Instead that thief stole away his kill by tackling him away from the gladiator. Curse that kid.

He would love to murder the kid as well so he could grab onto that brunette head and rip it off of its body but there was something else that kept him from doing so.

Zero had locked his arms and restraint him from moving at all. He knew it was Zero because not many would dare to take advantage of Sieghart's blind spot – it was just directly behind him - let alone know that Sieghart actually had such an obvious and typical physical weak spot. Of course if it was any other people who dared to force down the immortal, Sieghart would simply push them off and jab them by their guts or do something barbarically similar.

But it was Zero of all people.

There was no way he could just brutally destroy him.

Especially when his soothing voice was reaching out to him.

"Sieghart, calm down."

The immortal blinked and gradually his rage aura decreased. A part of him instantly obeyed his words, letting a wave of relief wash over him that what Zero spoke to him was the most rational thing to do as of now. Even the thief in front of him desperately nodded in agreement as he dragged the wasted hunter away from the scene.

Yet Zero noticed how there was still anger in him, with minute flickers of the purple flames still lingering around. He was not entirely convinced and continued to lust for the blood of the brunette demon, struggling slightly less than before. Why was it that Sieghart could not comprehend that everything was alright?

"Sieghart... Why exactly do you want to kill Rufus in the first place?"

"Because..! Because of...!"

The immortal grew speechless. Why? He thought to himself. Why did he want to kill of that bloody son of a bitch in the first place? So he could feel at ease. Yet he could not comprehend to why he would be relaxed with the bounty hunter's disappearance. He himself knew that nothing was wrong with the bounty hunter. Having Rufus around as part of the Grand Chase was quite advantageous (due to his connections with his numerous amounts of clients). And the gladiator admits to himself that there had been moments that he spent his time well with the bounty hunter - one memory that came into mind immediately was 'Throw-Insults-to-Dio Day' in which he and several others who want nothing more than to piss the stygian off celebrated on a monthly basis.

So why did he wanted Rufus dead in the first place? He had even gone to the point of switching into his Rage mode as well.

The wanderer's breath was warm against his ears. His voice was deep and perhaps comfortingly gentle. Their bodies pressed against one another and every friction made created a desired heat between them.

It was the fact Zero had been around Rufus just riled him up. He hated the thought of seeing those to quite close to one another. He disliked the fact that the wanderer disappeared for a moment just to spend most of his time with that asshole of a bounty hunter. Because Sieghart felt-

_'You are capable of feeling attracted to him.'_

Because Sieghart was simply attracted to Zero.

And Sieghart felt his entire body get thrashed ruthlessly even though he was physically fine. It was just - everything inside of him torn apart into little pieces. Surely he thought that there was nothing as painful as to die but he was wrong. The pain within him actually made death seemed so peaceful and welcoming. His chest experienced the most of the destruction, thorns piercing through him again and again.

Or was it his heart that was actually crying out in the horrible angst of heartache? In 600 years of his life, he knew not of such pain greater than what he was feeling that second. And it was because of that freaking demon.

Zero felt the gladiator loosen up. No more did he try to fight against the wanderer's restraint. But the wanderer knew Sieghart well enough to keep his guard up. Who knows when Sieghart would just suddenly jump out and run off somewhere?

But he knew the gladiator enough to know that the way Sieghart loosened up then was different. It felt like he was truly giving up.

And he did.

As Zero slowly let go of those arms of his, Sieghart collapsed on to his knees, head hung low. His body was trembling and fingers raked into the dirt to seek composure. His face had turned white, sweat dripping down to his neck. He breathed heavily, desperately trying to calm his nerves. The adrenaline rush was calming down and his body began to shiver in the pressure that it had been put through.

"Sieghart... You were jealous of Rufus for me... Were you not?"

A fine thorn stabbed into the immortal.

"Jealous? For you?" His sarcastic tone replied to the demon as his long bangs casted darker shadows over his eyes. His mouth on the other hand broke into an eerie grin or perhaps a twisted smirk. It had never occurred to Zero that the immortal could smile in such a sinister and deathly manner, even when Sieghart was lost in his psychotic rage mode.

"What do you think? Do I look jealous for you? Are you satisfied, _demon_?"

His voice deepened into a dark gravelly manner, and it even sent chills down Zero's spine, something he of all people rarely felt. But more than that, it made a prickle in his chest, one similar to the thorns Grandark would stab him with if the sword felt unhappy (and needed amusement) and at the same time had the pain level far terrible that made Grandark's thorns seem like little fragile needles. And the way he uttered 'demon' was heart-breaking. Of course, Zero was obviously a demon, but he knew even Dio was not belittled to the point the stygian was called just 'demon' in such a cold and hostile manner.

Had he become an object of hatred to Sieghart that the wanderer's existence became so insignificantly pathetic? Thoughts to reason why this was happening whizzed around the wanderer's mind – What exactly did he do to make Sieghart feel like this? What could he possibly do to ease Sieghart's anger and hatred towards him?

What could he do to make everything go back to normal, where their relationship was just powerful comrades-in-arms, peaceful chat friends and simply a calming presence to sit with?

Why did he say those words – his feeling of attraction - in the first place weeks ago?

Sieghart finally lifted his head and his eyes were of nothingness. Not a trace of his happy-go-lucky glow or even a flame of fury. They were simply empty of life.

"Well, I'm honoured to have made you feel satisfied," Sieghart pushed himself up, grey dilated eyes fixed straight into the demon core of the wanderer. He simpered nonchalantly, as of how he usually does every day. Yet those grey pupils were still void of his cheery arrogance.

That expression should never exist in the gladiator.

Sieghart turned away from the wanderer. He had grown calm and grew to realize how much he had fallen. He felt so humiliated with desires to dig up the deepest hole and bury himself in there where no one could see the shame that had fallen on him and the stains that dirtied his pride. The gladiator had never felt so defeated, so pathetic, so weak in his life. As if Heaven had forsaken him and abandoned all their blessings for him and Hell had welcomed him with open arms, unleashing its fur upon the gladiator, ripping his limps apart, one by one, again and again. The throes pulverized every inch of his physical body inside.

He was right. This was the first time his heart had to face through the most damage beyond recognition. Even death seemed like a peaceful thing.

He wanted freedom from this mental torture. He wanted liberty from this spiritual abuse.

"…. I'm going to take a _long_ nap…."

A nap. It was the best answer he could come up with and the most typical. No one would question why he would always sleep but they all would quickly assume that it was Sieghart's own way of eluding everything that forced him to exert a little bit of effort in something. Besides, sleep had become a form of luxury to the gladiator. He could never die due to lack of energy – his regeneration rate for energy and health was the quickest of them all. Plus he was immortal; there was no need to worry about overexerting himself to death.

Yet sleeping continued to be a form of solace to the immortal. It is generally a form of resting the mind and body and thus, a way to escape the harsh reality. And it was accompanied by dreams. Dreams were a series of thoughts, images and sensations, dragging one away from how cruel living could be and showing how it would be fun to simply indulge in fantasies that ease the spirit inside.

If he could have eternal sleep that would be a dream come true right now.

No more of this angst swelling up in his heart. No more aches that tortured him throughout his body. No more worrying about the wanderer's existence.

No more expecting Zero having his back. No more having one-sided chats with Zero. No more being treated like a regular human. No more synchronicity in battle with Zero. No more peaceful days just having Zero beside him.

No more Zero in his life.

This is exactly how it was supposed to be. There was no way in the first place that a relationship with a demon would be possible, let alone a man of all creatures. Sieghart began dragging his feet away from the wanderer, aimless of directions. All he wanted was to get out of there and fall asleep, never waking up in this unpleasant world.

"W-wait!"

Large hands grasped onto the immortal by his arms so suddenly that Sieghart lost his balance. The pulling force from the hands had made him stumble backwards and back into the arms of the demon. Zero thought by reaction, Sieghart would push himself away from the demon after his fall was broken so Zero kept his grip tight. Even when he was drained of energy from the previous fight, Sieghart still needed time to recuperate.

Instead the immortal had his head hanging down, trembling in fear.

All Zero could think- No.

He didn't even think about bringing Sieghart closer into his embrace, trying to become a source of comfort to the immortal.

"D-damn it all…" Sieghart stammered, fidgeting in his current position awkwardly and avoiding any means of eye contact. He was so determined to forget about this demon just a second ago. Where did all that courage for that resolution went to?

_'__I'm capable of feeling attracted to Zero…' _His voice echoed in his mind. There was no way he could reject such feelings in the blink of an eye.

"Fucking- Shit- Damn it!" Sieghart swore out loudly. "I am fucking Ercnard Sieghart for fuck's sake! The greatest legendary hero of the world! I shouldn't be so worked up over a bloody kid like you! And worrying about like a virgin teenager and getting flustered over a kid played around with me! A demon man of all bloody creatures! Fucking shit!"

The gladiator continued to howl, ranting out to the world as he unleashed every single bit of his throes that suffocated him from the inside. Somewhere in the middle, Sieghart had even started to punch the wanderer (his strength has yet to return to him so it was not as painful as it seemed). Nevertheless, Zero kept him in his arms faithfully; receiving every bit of beating that was casted down on him.

Ley was right. When she mentioned that Sieghart was a double edged sword, Zero realised that she was talking about that arrogant personality of Sieghart. Although it was amusing to watch and act out, it was the sole shield that the immortal had been sheltering from behind to keep his inner self from any harm. On the other hand, it restricted him from things that he desired that went against the principles of his nature and character in which he would hurt himself instead.

So all those feelings of frustration and misery pent up inside of the gladiator, they were created by that haughtiness of his. From the very beginning, it was his pride that had stopped him from tolerating the fact a demon like him had felt attraction to him. It was his ego that kept him from accepting the thought that he too might feel something for the wanderer.

And now, he had fallen with all his barriers self-destructed on himself.

Once Sieghart seemed to have calmed down, he sighed depressingly. "It's all your fault.. You shitty demon.. I've never felt so… So ruined in my whole life.."

"I…. It's all my fault… Yeah, it's all my fault." Zero soothingly stroked the immortal's head, going through his hair lovingly as he whispered those words repetitively like a distorted record. Guilt fluttered inside of him - he should've understood this. After all, it was that flamboyant arrogance of his that made him feel attracted to Sieghart in the first place.

It was his mistake this time, for being unaware of that implosion side-effect Sieghart possessed. "Sieghart, I'm…. I'm sorry for being attracted to you…"

Only the thundering sound of a heartbeat filled the air around them afterwards. Neither moved from the position they were in. Zero dared not to let him go. Sieghart dared not to run away either.

Gradually the fact that Sieghart was so close to the wanderer sunk into his mind and how hot it felt being pressed onto the chest of the wanderer. He knew demons had no heart; they were replaced with a demon core. So would a rapid heartbeat be equivalent to a rising temperature in them? And then Sieghart thought, how long had it been since they were this close? He had lost track, but one thing he was sure about was that in seconds, he was already feeling ease in his heart.

The pride in him had shattered and nothing restricted him from anything. Instincts took over the immortal.

"…. It really is your fault…" So by instincts, Sieghart let his head rest upon the demon's shoulder as he remembered the details of his life in the past dreadful days. The adrenaline was fading away and his focus was drifting further from him, yet the faded scenes of the demon continued to remain in his mind. As those fingers brushed through his hair, Sieghart's mouth curved a little.

"… Hey… I think I'm broken… Too…"

It all started with that sentence, didn't it? Kind of.

Zero chuckled as well, relieved that the carefree tone of the gladiator had returned into his tone. He would ask Sieghart why of all things he would choose, those were his word choices as of that moment, but clearly that was not the time. He too remembered that those were the words that started all this because it was he who first said them.

"Maybe you are…"

"Hell, we're both broken as fuck, aren't we?" Sieghart sniffed as he leaned back, having the wanderer's arm support him.

Zero always wore a mask, but just at the part of his face without the coverage, he saw the irreplaceable sight of a faint blush across the wanderer's face.

That was a memory definitely worth keeping in the immortal's books as he let himself sink into the warmth around him and the welcoming slumber.

* * *

A ceiling that was unfamiliar to him was the first thing he saw.

And the next thing he knew it, his arms reached out for-

"A-ARGH!"

Rufus cried out in pain after stretching only a little of his arms. And not a moment later did his eyes catch sight of the bandages that were wrapped around them. His red eyes narrowed and he groaned, staring at how disorientated it all seemed. And he was being literal too – a pounding headache was making it too hard for him to focus on anything.

A gentle push back down to what felt like a soft cosy bed had startled the bounty hunter. If it had startled him, it really meant he could be put into the worst possible conditions he had ever been. Nevertheless, Rufus had already submitted to the situation. The scent of the woodlands and fresh evergreen enveloping him was enough for him to tell that he was somewhere less dangerous for recuperation.

Lass' room.

"So... My knight in shining armour…. How long have I been out?" The bounty hunter managed to cough out. He took note of how his throat was burning in pain as well, remembering it might have been from the strangle he took head on from his immortal predator. His trachea may as well be torn from the choke if not for his quick reflexes to shoot the gladiator.

"A good twelve hours. And don't call me that. Or would you really want to call you princess?" The voice of the thief barked beside him sarcastically but Rufus was clearly aware of how much fury had been held back from the tone itself.

"Oh woe is me, my fair knight. The gods bless me too much, I can't ask for more," Rufus replied, earning himself a light whack on the head, which made his headache a little more painful.

Ever since Rufus tagged along with the Grand Chase, it was only Lass that had always been unusually attached to him. No one else was really bothered to 'really' befriend the bounty hunter. Time and again, it was Rufus whom reminded the members of the Grand Chase that he was only part of it for the bounty rewards and benefits that he's looking for, not for the friendship. And that shot down so many opportunities to create a 'real bond' with anyone. Not that he was interested in them.

Yet somehow, Lass seemed to have sneaked past every single cold shoulder and found a nice spot in the bounty hunter's 'friendzone' (Rufus never did have a friendzone before. People were either useful allies or degenerate enemies with an extremely thin line in between). There wasn't a specific reason or anything that could be comprehended, but the brunette demon simply regarded it as one of those strange random occurrences that could never be explained. They were both just so compatible with one another, which had been a huge surprise seeing as Rufus had always been one who enjoyed solitude.

Perhaps it was because the both of them shared similar attributes and traits. Rufus could recall several times how he and Lass would accidentally bump into one another because they both shared the same ideas. That was a miserable period for the two of them, seeing as verbal communications weren't their best form of connecting to one another. It wasn't until after a couple more practice runs did they found synchronicity in their partnership and proved to be a hazardous team to fight against. And Rufus quite enjoyed it. At some point.

That is, until he found out Lass was a wielder of the blue flames of Haros. And with a couple of further investigations, it became clear to the both of them that they were undeniably brothers by blood.

Certainly, there were complications at first. Rufus was still in pursuit of the blue flames. They were the only traces of his father – the ultimate target of his lifetime. And Lass wanted nothing else than to be related to a demon as it was the initial reason he lived such a wretched childhood. Yet time was on their side and they were quick to forgive and forget.

After all, they were brothers. That was the truth and they couldn't deny it (even so, the fact remains that the both of them would _love_ to defeat the other, just the usual sibling rivalry).

The thief snarled, breathing out some of his fury before he breathed in calmly. "Why the hell…."

"T's a sadist thing…." Was the only thing Rufus could utter out before he broke into a cracked chortle, mixed with light coughs that continued to remind him how much his throat was burning. Somehow he craved for something sweet to soothe it. He said nothing of course.

"Go to sleep then… I'll beat you up when you're fully healed." The thief snorted before he turned away to mind his own business. Rufus could only make out the deafening sounds of blades clashing one another. Lass had probably found sharpening his knives a much amusing source of entertainment than to pay attention to his brother.

"Like hell would I let you-" The bounty hunter did not continue, especially when he swore he heard a soft hiccup.

There was another thing that the brunette had come to realize in his time spent with the silver haired man. Lass had never been one who could be deeply attached towards anyone due to his twisted childhood. Companionship had always been welcomed by him but he simply could not take any relationship a step further. Once he does, the thief holds onto them tightly and desperately. The silver haired was too emotionally wrecked, unable to comprehend the limitations of how much connection one could really have with another.

Apparently, Rufus had become one of those he treasured.

It was a feeling that Rufus knew he should never indulge in. It was those kind of feelings that tears you apart brutally when the cards of betrayal and treachery comes to play. The cruel world of a bounty hunter had taught him again and again, he should never be in the mercy of anyone, by any means necessary and never leave an opening, no matter how insignificant it appears to be.

But…

The bandages wrapped over his wounds were perfectly done with precious, pure-hearted innocence. And the quiet sniffling of relief was for him.

The brunette sighed lightly and closed his eyes gently.

It was just too easy to make that one exception.

* * *

Lass shut the door behind him before his shoulders slacked and he let out a huge sigh. The brunette had fallen into another session of deep sleep and his conditioned seemed better than initially. The thief groaned as he stared into his hands.

"Damn- shit…."

They were still trembling, even after dragging his half-brother into his room and bandaging him up, his hands did not cease to shiver. Rufus' body had always been quite cold – it was a normality amongst some of the demons, being 'cold-blooded' and all (not literally though).

Lass sighed.

When he grasped the fallen bounty hunter in his arms, it was the first he held such a body so cold, not even a soul would reside in it. It wasn't the first time Lass clutched onto a near-to-dead body. Frankly it was part of his world to have handled dead bodies after the whole ordeal with Kaze'Aze and being a thief whom had experienced more than enough bloody actions.

Maybe it was not the fact Rufus' body temperature fell so drastically that made Lass so fretful, but the fact that he would lose the bounty hunter made him tremble in fear.

Rufus wasn't exactly family – that Lass was very sure about, and it mattered to him. Half-brother was simply a term the other people around them used to conclude the relationship they had with one another, since they weren't directly related other than their father's blood. Plus Lass didn't even look any bit demon at all. Although it sounded stupid, being half-brothers with Rufus was a more tolerable fact than being called a brother. After the Nightmare circus incident, there was no way Lass wanted anyone more than a family for a while – and probably a long time.

Instead, Lass had considered the bounty hunter as a close friend. And it was probably because of that he was feeling so fretful at the thought of losing Rufus. It had been too long since he had anyone closer than Rufus. Whilst he did spend more time with the other chasers and he did feel at ease with them, Rufus was simply different. He was like a dysfunctional broken home, but still a place to return to no matter what rights, what wrongs and regrets he had done.

Lass sighed once more. He had repeatedly told himself that involving himself further with the bounty hunter was going to lead him to trouble more than he could handle. The bounty hunter would definitely abuse their relationship, take advantage of it, and put the thief in harm's way. But the thief couldn't resist it. He enjoyed- probably loved the time spent with the bounty hunter, even if they didn't even shared a single word with one another. And it always seemed like Rufus liked it too. Rufus didn't exactly told him to get lost anyways.

Lass wouldn't just let go of the bounty hunter so easily. Actually, it might already be at a point where he couldn't do it at all. He needed the other. But he knew that Rufus could easily throw him away.

And that fact alone made the thief so restless.

* * *

Sieghart, on the other hand, woke up staring at a ceiling too.

And just like Rufus, it looked like a ceiling too foreign for him to recognize.

And he knew what the ceiling to the infirmary looked like so Sieghart deducted he wasn't there. When he turned his head around slightly to see the room, he noticed the familiar objects placed there – a chest, an old wardrobe, a weapon rack with his swords neatly placed.

He was in his rarely used, near to empty bedroom.

Sieghart pushed himself up, scratching his nape questioningly. He didn't really enjoy entering this room despite being provided to him as a member of the Grand Chase. Preferably, he slept under the night sky, or in a secluded area where time flows in a pace he chose to follow. It made him feel a lot freer in the open spaces where he could feel the life all around him.

The bedroom simply made him feel more secluded from the world and…

Sieghart shook his head before his thoughts drifted to more complex thoughts and he desperately recollected the last memory in his mind.

And then he was flushed.

"Ah hell… I'm really getting old… Can't even keep my own defences well made, let alone maintain it tightly…" Sieghart whined to himself.

Sieghart himself knew that his pride was his own fort, and that his true self remains untouched and unseen by the outside world. He didn't live for 600 years not being able to grow aware of how he acts. And said walls that created his fort supported him for 600 years was easily torn down by the measly words of the wanderer in less than weeks.

So now that the wanderer had witness his true self, there was no way Sieghart could easily deny anything. Knowing Zero's headstrong determination for his ambitions, Sieghart had two options.

Either he abandons his identity as the Legendary Sieghart and run to some foreign land, never to be heard of.

Or he accepts the whole charade and lives with the fact that Zero was definitely attracted to him.

But of course, this was Sieghart we were talking about. The first option faced complete rejection instantly. There was no way in hell would the gladiator ditch his title as the Legendary Hero. It was an achievement he gained with his raw power as a mortal and not as the immortal he was today. And that was definitely a keeper. Besides, even if he did leave and laid low in some uncharted area, he was bound to accidentally do something grand that could create rumours which would reach the wanderer's ears…

And he'd have to face Zero's hatred due to the abandonment without answers. Or worse, Zero hunts him down as another target like Duel.

The second option was clearly something he was displeased with even though it had rationality, especially when his life as a man was being risked.

But hadn't he been running away long enough?

"I should've faced him in the beginning like a man…. Damn it…" Sieghart had whacked himself by the head lightly. "Didn't have to let anyone see my uncool side…"

…

Zero was attracted to him. And there was no way he could deny it… That's what he thought.

And judging from how he had been out of his usual pace yesterday, maybe somewhere in the depths of the complex heart of a man, Sieghart too felt a similar form of attraction towards the demon as well.

And then…

And then what?

Do they just become lovers? Or revert back into that old friendship they both shared before. Perhaps with a little more intimacy as well, like being sex friends or something – the thought made Sieghart cringe in disgust though. He may have vulgar thoughts at times, but it didn't mean he was seriously interested in them. It was this situation that made him quite puzzled about it all. Thank god Zero didn't seem like a demon who indulged himself in such activities.

And then the question he kept asking himself before still remained. Of all people… Why him?

The door was knocked lightly. Simultaneously, Sieghart's feet had already stepped on the floor. He would open the door himself to greet his visitor, but he remained still on his bed. The knob twisted and the door had opened without his command.

'Speak of the devil.. It's the man of the hour…'

Zero slipped in quickly without making much of a noise. Shutting the door lightly behind him, the demon greeted Sieghart calmly.

"Good morning, Sieghart."

"M.. morning…?" Sieghart let out awkwardly. He was quite definitely unprepared for the sudden visit of the wanderer. He knew Zero was quite reserved – well, Sieghart assumed him to be reserved, so to see him take the initiative to drop by to his room was a little too spontaneous, even for Sieghart.

It took a couple of seconds for the immortal to only realize that Zero making himself comfortable on his bed, just sitting right next to him. Zero wasn't one to enjoy placing others in any awkward situation, despite admitting he might be quite skilled in it, but the least he could do was to eliminate the situation immediately by creating a new one.

He didn't seem to predict the fact Sieghart would grow more awkward than before. Sieghart pulled his legs up and shifted slightly towards the head of the bed, inching away from Zero ever so slightly. He kept his legs near him, curling up into a ball and then stared at the demon. A defensive position with wary of the little movements of the demon made.

Yet Zero felt no such offence from it. The man had his pride crushed just the day before. He must be left with his innermost unprotected self in the open, unable to predict what might befall on him and unable to recognize the quickest way to defend himself. Sieghart's fingers tapped on his feet apprehensively, waiting for the worst to come. He could only excuse the immortal's behaviour.

Such hesitance... It left Zero in a war of two complete opposite emotions – the sorrow that grew in him for forcing the immortal to fall into such a state, the wilful anticipation that this storm will bring that calmness they both wish for.

Somehow, Zero minded not of it. Perhaps the fact the immortal's eyes shone. It had been a comfort to the demon to see the glow in his grey pupils the moment he walked in the room. Because even if Sieghart's egoistical pride was torn apart, leaving him vulnerable to everything, the man had that carefreeness in him that would lead him forward to a hopeful path.

"Err…"

The demon kept his gaze forward. "I came to see if your wounds had already healed…"

"O-oh… Okay…" There was a slight increase in the immortal's pitch when he replied. "But… You do know I'm immortal? My regenerating rate is quick enough to-" Sieghart's voice died when he noticed that the demon had turned to look at him into his eyes.

"That was an obvious excuse Sieghart… I'm more concerned of our positions in this relationship we both share."

Of course that was an excuse, Sieghart. The gladiator felt like smacking his head. Everyone in the Grand Chase knew that Sieghart was capable of healing at a rapid rate that even Arme's spells seemed so redundant.

"Funny thing is, I was going to look for you about that." Sieghart leaned back and the immortal wasted no seconds on getting comfortable as he shifted his seating position again, legs placed crossed over one another. It was that kind of body language, although seemingly insignificant, that told Zero he wasn't going anywhere until he was –or they were both satisfied with their conclusions.

This in turn made Zero relax a little. His shoulders slackened and his hands ceased to appear stiff upon the mattress he sat on.

"Actually…. I'm sorry if I offended you or anything- I've pretty much cooled down my head now and realized how… How stupid I must have been, acting differently around you." The immortal shyly scratched his neck, giving out a dry chuckle at the end of his sentence. "Really… I didn't think I would actually come to feel… _'Attracted'_… To someone again with this age of mine…"

"This emotion is mutual, then?"

"Heheh… Pretty much." A weak laugh seeped out of Sieghart. But his mild happiness turned solemn immediately. "You get to an age like mine and you'll finally realize how it's so hard to accept things like this to just happen, you know?"

"Come now, Sieghart. Does age really matter?"

"Of course. People might call me a 600 year old paedophile you know." Sieghart bluntly replied with a hint of joke. And quickly too. But his eyes remained gravely staring into his own fingers. "Which makes me wonder something… Why me?"

"Huh?" Zero stared at the immortal, questioningly. It was such a simple question yet it held so much meaning. Two words were all it took for Zero to submit to a rare situation he called ignorance as he himself felt speechless, unable to answer such a complex problem.

"You know. The whole time, I've been running around in circles about someone- _you_ being attracted to me in that _way_ that I forget to question why in Aernas' name are you attracted to me? Sure, it doesn't sound like a big deal for me. But I can't help feel uneasy. Of all the people, why does it have to be me? Aren't there others whom are far more suited to your likings? We're total opposites for Aernas' sake. And- and…"

Sieghart' stare was serious and determined for an answer with some slight confusion in the edges, waiting patiently for a reply. His voice trailed away weakly, but desperately for some sort of solace in the form of an answer that could relieve him. A sense of disbelief hit Zero for the gladiator he had always known seemed so helpless once more. Then again, this wasn't the first time he had seen Sieghart like this. It was _that_ day that Sieghart had become so meek and docile and…

That feeling of giddiness had sprung up in his stomach, flitting around uncontrollably. The mind that had been in control over everything simply found itself flowing along instincts. Zero's fingers grazed along the immortal's jawline and his thumb pressed Sieghart's lower lips subtly. The immortal showed no resistance and let him. Instead, he looked away innocently, face flustered, trying to tear himself from the connection.

"W-well…? What is the answer…?"

The way he demands an answer in a stuttering manner, it gradually became obvious that Sieghart had none other than a lack of confidence in himself. It had probably been one of the foundations of that double-edged arrogant personality built over the years. With the life he led, it wasn't a surprise if he had seen failure beyond comprehension, only to feel regrets that clustered in himself over the years.

But who was he to show his grave emotions when he was the legendary hero of Kanavan? The great Prime Knight of the highlanders? The immortal of the Grand Chase? All he could do by then was to wear his mask. To convince those around him that it was alright with his silliness and to lift up spirits with his carefree nature. To simply smile.

And maybe, it was that empty smile of his that initially attracted Zero to him. For there had always been secrets that were kept deeply hidden behind the façade, tempting an innocent curious soul like Zero, just waiting to be discovered by him and only him.

A genuine pat on the head caught Sieghart off guard. And the hand softly brushed his hair into a tousled mess.

"Should there be a reason why I shouldn't be?" Zero chuckled softly. "After all, you are none other than the _legendary_ Sieghart."

Sieghart blinked blankly whilst the blood steadily filled his cheeks. He then slapped the wanderer's hand away. "Cheh… Kids like you are still too young to tease me!"

Sieghart let out a single snort of embarrassment. Was he really that old of a human to not even realise it? That the only thing that the wanderer did to fill the immortal up with assurance was just an answer so wholesome, that it proved to be nothing else but the greatest from of attraction. Even if he knew Zero's actual age, he'd still consider himself so senile. It was just as he initially thought.

Because he was Sieghart that Zero felt attraction towards him.

Those warm feelings of comfort soothed his soul somehow. A form of remedy for these scars inside him in the form of the vagabond demon Zero. It was probably fate's way of telling him it was time for him to move on or something, but Sieghart would never admit he ever needed fate to tell him that.

Zero didn't feel anything more than content especially when the hand that had been slapped off the gladiator's head was held tightly by the gladiator's hand.

"You _really are_ broken, Zero…."

It all started out with that, didn't it?

"It appears you are as well, Sieghart."

And this time, they both smiled a little.

* * *

It wasn't long before Sieghart grew stuffy of his own room. He reasons it with his discomfort for small spaces. Ultimately, the wanderer picked up the fact that something was amiss seeing as Sieghart had been restrained in smaller confinements before – Mari's contraptions was one of them - and he showed no signs of sickness. Unless he knew how to conceal them as well…

Nevertheless, Zero had little concern of it as of now and made a mental note to work out why the gladiator would behave that way for a later date. Sieghart wasn't going anywhere but to him now and that gives him all the time he needs to learn more about the gladiator.

Sieghart stretched out his arms just as he stepped out of his bedroom. "Dear Highlanders, I feel like I've slept for a century…"

Zero let out a sigh. "…. I think you slept enough for today."

"Eh? And here I thought you were used to me sleeping around…." Sieghart mumbled before he groaned in his own humiliation, "Wait- That didn't sound right.."

The wanderer let out a tickled hum instead. "No… Although I do find some peace in mind when you are sleeping, it does not please me to know you're doing it to heal yourself instead of sleeping to procrastinate on something."

"Hey, hey… It's called preserving energy. And secondly…" Sieghart paused. Really… Even though they both knew he was immortal, the displeasure the wanderer showed in Sieghart's injuries and recuperation was proof enough to Sieghart that perhaps made him feel a little less aware of how he could never die and more mortal-like instead.

A nostalgic feeling, perhaps. One he missed.

"Eh… Never mind. Forget the last bit." The gladiator huffed and scratched his neck. Zero frowned for a moment. Even if he had shattered Sieghart's pride and discovered the treasure within that took the form of Sieghart's true self, it seemed as if he was still far away from discovering the secrets in the man's labyrinth heart. But again, he reminded himself that there was endless time for him to explore it all.

Simply walking through the hallways of the castle, their direction was aimless, letting their unconscious mind choose their destination. They spoke to each other not. Most of what was intended to be conveyed had already been done. What that was left was to let the silence sink in between them.

None of the awkwardness of course. It was back to the usual calm air that the two would share whenever together. But in this little period of time, it made the gladiator realize that he didn't know what he should speak of. Truth be told, he was dying to talk again to the wanderer. But the strange little questions like, what he should talk about and if it would bother the wanderer to answer them after weeks of avoiding him popped up.

Anxious Sieghart. It hadn't even been an hour and Zero indulged in the twitches on the corner of the immortal's mouth, desperate to say something but holding back for whatever reason.

The demon mumbled, "How… Have you been?"

"Huh?" Sieghart's mind stopped for a bit to think about the question. It wasn't a relatively hard question. Just.. Zero was pretty aware of his current condition and what had happened in the past couple of hours. There was really no point in asking about his-

"Yes, a trivial question, but a conversation starter nonetheless."

Sieghart blinked, staring at Zero for a second. And then two. And then he proceeded to laugh.

"Dear Highlanders, you have got to expand on your conversation starters. Well, I get the fact that asking someone's uh… current state is pretty normal, but you could definitely try starting with a compliment too! Like-" Sieghart cleared his throat. "_Oh Master Sieghart, you look quite dashing today. Did you put anything on or is it just your naturally handsome looks?_"

"Is that not a, what you humans call a pick-up line?"

"No! Well, some would say that. But compliments makes everyone happy, right? I give it to the girls all the time and-" The immortal stopped. "I mean, it's not the pick-up line feel when I tell it to the girls but putting a smile on their faces is what matters most, you know. Makes the conversation start off with a good feel."

Zero lightly nods as they take another turn into what looked like an empty corridor. "Then I will say… Sieghart, today you seem quite radiant."

"Hmm… A little stiff, but you've got the main point. Yeap, that's how you do it. Easy isn't it?" The immortal rubs his chin wisely and puffing his chest out proudly, approving his temporary student's efforts in pic- complimenting people in Conversation Starters Class 101. He particularly enjoyed teaching people, no matter how unreliable he may seemed sometimes. Probably a paternal instinct that had developed sometime in the passing centuries. "See, I feel really great already, I can take on the world again. Hahahahaha!"

It had been a while since he laughed so heartily. Sieghart could fill the whole of Serdin with it and no one would be able to contain it all. With all the depressing chain of events, laughing so freely like this was just like a dream.

How long ago was their last conversation? Sure, they originally did not speak to one another as often as many others but after that fiasco, it felt like an eternity since they were in this sort of synchronicity. Perhaps knowing that the both of them had mutual attractions to one another would not always result in such a drastic change of relationship level that one must think of each and every phrase with thorough thought. They made quite an odd couple anyways. Why just jump into the act of lovers immediately when this was comfortable enough?

Although progress had to happen somehow and Zero seemed content enough that this attraction was mutual. Sieghart, on the other hand, knew himself well (alright, after all that drama, there are obviously things he didn't know but he knew himself _enough_). And he knew that he could be impatient when he was deprived or tempted by his desires.

If Zero took the first step into this whole thing, the least he could do was to make the next step.

"Look at that! The weather's all nice and sunny and I feel so cheerful! It's a good time to patrol around the Outer Walls!" Sieghart purred as he stretched out his arms- they felt quite stiff after the long slumber. "What do you think, Zero? Wanna see the Legendary Sieghart in action on such a fine day like this? It's quite a rare moment, you know."

And it was also very rare of the immortal to invite anyone to go on a mission with him, let alone patrol around the Outer Walls. For starters, Sieghart knew what he was dealing with most of the time, so he didn't really need anyone's help for any mission. If ever he was in a party, he was actually dragged into it, by force or not. Secondly, patrolling the Outer Walls of Serdin was one mission that made the immortal distinctively enthusiastic. No one knew the real reason to why Sieghart loved it – it could probably be that it was really close to the castle or it was particularly easy to deal with.

Or perhaps, another secret side of Sieghart hides there?

The immortal scratched his neck sheepishly. His cheeks burned in a light glaze of pink. His grin was wide, stretching from one ear to the other.

Zero felt his demon core fluctuate.

"Let me get Grandark then.."

"Attaboy! I'm going to grab the mission and meet you at the Castle gates first then. Heh." Sieghart bit his tongue just as he slipped out a satisfied laugh. Without even waiting for Zero's reply, he had already run off into a corner. Zero wouldn't even chase after him by then- the immortal would have already jumped into a secret passage from who knows where. He knew the castle like the back of his hand, as well as the secrets it possessed. Escaping anyone in this building was too easy of a challenge for him.

As prideful as it seemed, the flush of colour on Sieghart's face clearly showed his shyness mixed into that invitation. And it please Zero greatly. Prideful but shy. Haughty but submissive. Dangerous but fragile. Could Sieghart really be anything else but charming?

The demon paced towards his own room. He had left the sword resting at his room earlier on. Grandark would have been yowling in anger if he did bring him to Sieghart's room. Actually, the sword would still bellow to him for leaving him there in the first place. Grandark had never really liked it when Zero wasn't close to him – probably being overly paranoid because Zero was his only wielder.

Strangely enough, when Zero entered his room, there was not even a single whisper from the demon sword. Grandark leaned still against the wall, its eye shut and with no such interest to the world around him.

At first glance, even Zero assumed that his sword was acting his usual obnoxious character- hating the world around him for they were unworthy to him. The sword was notorious for keeping his silence when he was beyond his usual ferocity. It added flavour to the fear he instilled, he explained.

So why was there a crack in the middle of that quiet...

[Chapter 4 - End]  
Chapter word count : 9,004  
Total word count: 36,108

* * *

**A/N:**  
It's official. I'm terrible at writing a lot in one go that I end up updating a new chapter in the next, what, few months? *laughs nervously*  
But that ends this 'arc', I guess. The original series of Reason of Attraction has finally been completely rewritten.

I still question myself why I've continued to write this. I mean, the Chase has been long shut down- It's been nearly a year, in fact. Yet there is me, still writing this ever so slowly. Who knows if there are still people out there that will come to stumble upon this story once more- I sure don't. But I know that there are people who do return into this corner of the fandom worlds just to revisit and relive a little of their past seconds. So I may as well continue it anyways. I myself am doing the same by choosing to continue with writing this -7-

-Hishin


End file.
